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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 

OF  CIVIL  WAR  NOVELS 

PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


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Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2010  witii  funding  from 

University  of  Nortii  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/unionstoryofgreamusi 


A    LAlUiK    KOCNI)    SHOT    \\  KNT     HISSlNli    Tllliorcill     THE     AIU    AND    STKUCK    AGAINST 
THE    SOLID    WALL    OF    FOliT    SlIMTEK. 


UNION 


A  STORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION 


BY 

JOHISr  R  MUSIOK 

AUTHOK   OF  "COLUMBIA,"   "ESTEVAN,"   "SUSTAINED  HONOR," 
"HUMBLED  PRIDE,"   ETC.,    ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY  F.    A.    CARTER 


"Nm  ¥orfe 

FUNK   &   WAGNALLS   COMPANY 
London  and  Toronto 

1894 
Printed  in  the   United  States 


Copyright,  1894,  by  the 
FUNK  &  WAGNALLS   COMPANY 


[Registered  at  Stationers''  Hall,  London,  Eng.] 


^0 
MY  SISTER, 

LIZZIE    MUSICK, 

WHO  HAS  GIVEN   ME  VALUABLE  AID   IN  THE  PREPARATION 
OF  THESE  BOOKS, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED 

BY 

THE     AUTHOR. 


603160 


PREFACE. 


This  volume  ends  the  series  of  Columbian 
Historical  Novels,  designed  to  give  a  complete 
history  of  the  United  States,  in  twelve  complete 
stories,  chronologically  arranged.  Throughout  the 
series  I  have  adhered  to  the  original  plan  of  mak- 
ing fiction  subordinate  to  history,  even  at  the  ex- 
pense of  unity.  I  have  been  censured  by  some 
critics  for  deserting  my  fictitious  characters  in 
order  to  bring  up  the  historical  events  by  which 
they  were  surrounded,  but  as  my  design  was  to 
make  the  series  beneficial  as  well  as  interesting,  I 
have  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  suggestions  to  sacrifice 
usefulness  to  smoothness. 

It  is  doubtful  if  the  time  has  yet  arrived  to  write 
a  fair  and  impartial  history  of  the  war  of  the  Ee- 
bellion,  even  as  a  historical  romance.  We  are  so 
prone  to  let  prejudice  warp  judgment  that  we  can 
hardly  deal  fairly  with  an  opponent,  even  though 
that  opponent  be  a  brother. 

I  believe  the  great  civil  war  was  not  a  war  for 
the  freedom  of  the  slaves,  but  for  the  preservation 


vi  PREFACE. 

of  the  Union.  Slavery  was  a  secondary  issue, 
merely  a  pretext  to  test  the  pernicious  and  danger- 
ous doctrines  of  State  supremacy.  The  seeds  of 
the  great  rebellion  were  really  sown  in  the  conven- 
tion which  framed  our  constitution,  and  the  pro- 
phetic eye  of  Washington  early  saw  the  danger. 
Calhoun  found  this  fire  smouldering  in  the  mem- 
ories of  men,  and  by  his  brilliant  powers  fanned  it 
into  a  dangerous  conflagration.  It  spread  and  at 
one  time  threatened  the  North  more  than  the 
South.  There  was  no  way  to  decide  this  great 
question  of  constitutional  law,  save  by  the  highest 
court  known,  an  appeal  to  arms.  Had  not  slavery 
formed  the  issue  some  other  disputed  point  would. 
In  ISfil,  the  abolition  of  slavery  was  not  contem- 
plated by  either  the  Republican  party  or  President 
Lincoln.  In  his  inaugural  address,  March  4,  1861, 
Mr.  Lincoln  said :  "  I  have  no  purpose,  directly  or 
indirectly,  to  interfere  with  the  institution  of 
slavery  in  any  State  where  it  exists.  I  believe  I 
have  no  lawful  right  to  do  so,  and  I  have  no  in- 
clination to  do  so. "  When  the  war  had  raged 
almost  two  years,  President  Lincoln  late  in  Septem- 
ber issued  a  proclamation,  in  which  he  gave  notice 
that  it  was  his  purpose  to  declare  the  emancipation 
of  the  slaves  on  the  1st  of  January,  1863,  to  take 
effect  immediately  wherever  a  state  of  insurrection 
might  exist,  unless  the  offenders  should  lay  down 


PREFACE.  vii 

their  arms.  If  the  offenders  had  laid  down  their 
arms  and  returned  to  their  allegiance  to  the  Union, 
slavery  would  not  have  been  abolished.  Then  it 
is  certain  that  the  first  two  years'  war  was  merely 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  and  not  for  the 
freedom  of  the  slaves.  If  the  first  two  years  were 
a  war  for  the  Union,  and  the  fighting  never  ceased 
until  the  Union  was  preserved,  it  is  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  whole  war  was  for  the  Union,  and 
not  for  tlic  freedom  of  the  negro,  as  most  writers 
of  late  years  declare.  While  the  freedom  of  the 
slaves  was  one  of  the  beneficent  results  of  the  war, 
it  was  not  the  cause.  The  soldier  who  donned  the 
•blue  in  18G1,  did  so  to  defend  his  country,  and 
had  no  more  thought  of  abolition  of  the  slaves  than 
did  Mr.  Lincoln,  on  whom  it  was  forced  as  a  mili- 
tary necessity. 

Tlie  grand  central  figure  of  this  great  period  of 
our  nation's  history  is  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was 
the  brilliant  orb  illuminating  the  republic's  darkest 
hour,  and  all  others  were  but  satellites  borrowing 
their  brilliance  from  him.  He  planned  those  bril- 
liant campaigns,  and  issued  the  orders  to  his  lieu- 
tenants to  execute.  He  could  be  a  soldier  at 
headquarters;  but  he  had  too  much  human  kind- 
ness in  his  soul  to  personally  participate  in  such 
butcheries  as  Gettysburg  and  the  Wilderness. 

John  Brown  is  still  an  enigma  to  the  American 


viii  PREFACE. 

liistorian,  and  it  is  too  early  to  place  him.  Writers 
call  him  a  saint  or  a  devil,  according  to  their  polit- 
ical persuasions.  When  time  shall  have  sifted  all 
the  evidence,  and  our  prejudices  have  had  time  to 
cool,  I  believe  that  we  shall  learn  that  John  Brown 
was  neither.  A  saint  is  not  usually  armed  with  a 
gun,  nor  does  he  violate  law,  murder,  nor  stir  up 
wrath.  Christ  rebuked  Peter  for  striking  in  self- 
defence,  then  how  much  more  would  he  rebuke  the 
bloody  deeds  of  John  Brown.  Brown  began  his 
Virginia  career  as  a  fraud,  entering  the  State  under 
an  assumed  name,  with  a  premeditated  plan  to 
violate  the  laws  of  the  State  and  general  govern- 
ment. When  captured  he  was  as  much  a  rebel 
against  the  government  as  was  Jeff  Davis  or  Lee 
when  captured  in  1805;  so  he  could  not  be  called 
a  patriot.  It  is  better  to  lay  aside  foolish  senti- 
ment and  look  at  these  matters  in  a  sensible  light, 
even  if  we  do  shatter  a  cherished  idol.  Though 
once  an  admirer  of  John  Brown,  after  years  of 
careful  study  of  the  man  and  times,  I  can  do  no 
more  than  pronounce  him  a  dangerous  fanatic 
whom  it  were  better  to  forget  than  to  praise.  In 
these  days,  when  men  are  thirsting  after  notoriety, 
sounding  the  praises  of  a  law  breaker  like  John 
Brown,  stimulates  such  fanatics  as  the  Chicago 
anarchists  to  like  deeds.  Brown's  motive  may 
have  been  a  good  one,  but  a  man  has  no  more  right 


PREFACE.  ix 

to  rob  on  tlie  highway  for  charity,  than  had  Brown 
to  adopt  his  means  for  freeing  the  slaves.  It  is 
doubtfnl  if  his  conduct  did  the  cause  he  cLaimed  to 
represent  any  good.  He  was  as  much  a  detriment 
to  the  Republican  party,  as  the  anarchists  of  to- 
day are  to  the  labor  party.  While  representing 
their  righteous  principles,  he  was  lawless  and  un- 
scrupulous in  bringing  about  the  desired  reform. 
He  neither  exercised  prudence  nor  common  sense 
in  any  of  his  plans.  His  bravery  was  foolhardi- 
ness  which  any  true  soldier  would  condemn.  As 
none  of  his  sons  took  any  prominent  part  in  the 
war  which  followed  two  years  after  their  father's 
death,  it  has  led  many  to  believe  that  their  Kansas 
career  was  more  a  war  of  plunder  than  sentiment. 
That  is  a  question,  however,  that  we  do  not  propose 
to  discuss  in  these  pages. 

The  rebellion  was  brought  about  by  a  few  "  hot- 
headed" southern  politicians,  of  the  aristocratic 
class,  who  held  honest  labor  in  contempt,  and  who 
regarded  the  man  who  toiled  as  no  better  than  the 
negro  slave.  This  class  of  southern  aristocrats 
may  be  traced  from  the  cavaliers  of  the  Cromwellian 
period.  They  early  learned  to  call  the  New  Eng- 
landers  Puritanic  fanatics.  Yet  we  would  not  deal 
too  severely  with  the  southern  people.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  judge  the  promptings  of  a  man's  heart  if 
one    is    unfamiliar    with    his    surroundings.      We 


X  PREFACE. 

should  not  forget  that  slavery  had  existed  from  the 
earliest  civilization  down  to  1861.  Cruel  masters 
were  an  exception.  The  slave  was  valuable  prop- 
erty, whom  the  sensible  master  was  careful  to  keep 
in  good  working  condition.  Naturally  the  aboli- 
tionists told  only  the  worst  side  of  the  story  of 
slavery.  The  effect  of  this  system  was  worse  on 
the  whites  than  on  the  blacks,  yet  the  man  born 
and  reared  in  the  midst  of  such  an  institution  could 
not  be  made  to  see  it.  lie  believed  that  the  hated 
"  abolitionists"  envied  him  his  riches,  and  was 
seeking  to  deprive  him  of  them.  He  could  not 
believe  that  the  northern  people  were  sincere.  To 
him,  all  their  pleading  for  the  poor  slave  was  sen- 
timental hypocrisy,  and  his  only  design  was  to 
deprive  him  of  his  property  from  malice  or  envy. 
The  underground  railroads,  and  John  Brown  raids 
only  confirmed  him  in  this  belief,  and  made  him 
more  stubborn.  The  South  was  greatly  to  blame, 
yet  the  southern  people  are  our  brothers;  let  us 
deal  charitably  with  them.  They  took  up  the 
sword,  and  their  social  system  perished  by  the 
sword, — let  us  be  content.  In  military  achieve- 
ments, they  were  prodigies.  They  fought  with  a 
valor  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  When  we  consider 
that  we  enlisted  almost  two  millions  of  men  more 
than  the  South;  that  we  lost  in  killed,  wounded 
and  from  hospital  deaths  more  than  their  entire 
forces ;  that  with  only  one  hundred  thousand  men 


PREFACE.  xi 

in  the  field  tlie  last  year  of  the  war,  they  fovight 
over  a  million,  we  really  have  not  much  to  boast 
of.  We  may  say  what  we  please  about  general- 
ship, military  skill,  yet  the  official  reports  of  the 
adjutant  generals,  give  the  greatest  skill,  general- 
ship and  courage  to  the  defeated.  There  were  acts 
of  cruelty  on  both  sides,  which  had  better  be  for- 
gotten, and  I  have  omitted  all  mention  of  them. 
In  this  volume  and  throughout  this  series,  I  have 
endeavored  to  teach  the  great  moral  principle  of 
patriotism  both  North  and  South.  The  sooner 
that  the  South  concedes  that  she  was  in  the  wrong, 
the  better  it  will  be  for  the  entire  nation,  for  she 
is  a  part  of  the  grand  whole.  Her  sons  need  not 
be  ashamed  of  their  record  as  soldiers;  but  right, 
justice,  and  numbers  were  against  them,  and  it 
was  best  that  they  should  suffer  defeat. 

In  writing  this  series,  I  have  tried  to  get  at  the 
truth,  and  have  selected  such  matter  as  to  me 
seemed  most  reliable.  No  one  knows  better  than 
the  historian  how  difficult  it  is  to  sift  the  truth 
from  the  great  mass  of  error.  Official  records  and 
documents  are  usually  supposed  to  be  correct;  but 
in  them  one  finds  such  irreconcilable  contradic- 
tions, that  the  historian  is  at  a  loss  which  to  choose. 
This  is  especially  true  of  the  official  reports  of  the 
commanding  officers  in  the  late  war.  For  certain 
statements  in  a  former  volume  of  this  series  a  critic 
takes  me  to  task,  because  I  adopted  the  generally 


xii  PREFACE. 

accepted  statements  of  nine-tenths  of  the  standard 
historians  against  an  isolated  favorite  authority  of 
his,  and  in  a  private  letter  expresses  his  amaze- 
ment that  I  should  prefer  Bancroft,  Prince,  Dr. 
Eobinson,  and  like  authority  to  his  "one  book," 
which  differs  a  hair  on  some  immaterial  points. 
In  this  volume,  from  the  multiplicity  of  worthy 
witnesses  on  both  sides,  I  have  been  frequently 
at  a  loss  which  to  choose;  but  have  in  every 
case  taken  what  to  me  seemed  most  authentic, 
without  fear  or  favor. 

Mark  Stevens,  a  brother  of  Arthur  Stevens,  hero 
of  the  story  "  Humbled  Pride,"  and  son  of  Albert 
Stevens,  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  is  the  chief 
actor  in  this  volume.  About  this  fictitious  family, 
whose  ancestors  are  traced  to  the  cabin  boy  on 
board  the  SayHa  Ilaria,  coming  with  Columbus  on 
his  first  voyage  in  1402,  I  have  tried  to  weave  the 
history  of  the  United  States.  As  every  life  has  a 
plot  of  its  own,  each  man  having  a  destiny  marked 
out  for  himself,  so  have  I  given  to  the  Stevens 
family  each  a  different  career,  at  the  same  time 
preserving  inherent  family  characteristics,  chief  of 
which  are  honesty  and  patriotism.  I  believe  that 
if  those  principles  were  taught  at  every  fireside, 
our  country  would  never  again  be  threatened  with 
dissolution.  j^jj^   ^     MUSIGK. 

KiRKViLLE,  Mo.,  January  15,  1894. 


TABLE   OF   COI^TE^TS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Love  and  Madness, 1 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Sunny  South 29 

CHAPTER  III. 
Saint  or  Devil, 50 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Calhounism,  .        .        .        . 76 

CHAPTER  V. 
Mrs.  Anderson's  Recruit 96 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Mark  and  Elsie 118 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Pirate 146 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

The  Recruit, 165 

xiii 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

PAGE 

Love  and  Excitement, 183 

CHAPTER  X. 
First  Fire, 210 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Shiloh -        .        .  233 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Alec  and  Mark, 256 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Pretty  Spy, 272 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Alabama  and  Kearsarge,   .....  296 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Deserter, 315 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Conflict  in  the  Clouds, 335 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

An  Ether  Fantasy,      .......  354 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
"  I  Have  a  Wife,  " 366 


CONTENTS.  XV 

PAGE 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
The  Clouds  Roix  Away, 388 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Conclusion, 409 


APPENDIX. 

CHAPTER  I. 
Andrew  Johnson  and  the  Reconstruction,      .        .  433 

CHAPTER   II. 

Grant's  Two  Administrations— Alabama  Claim — 
Trouble  with  Spain — Corruption  of  Officials 
— "The  Whiskey  Ring," 448 

CHAPTER  III. 
Hayes,  Garfield  and  Arthur,  .....  463 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Cleveland's  Administration  and  the  Campaign  of 
1888 475 

CHAPTER    V. 

Harrison's  Administration— Trouble  with  Chile 
—  Defeat  —  Cleveland  Again  Elected  —  Ha- 
wauan  Trouble— Conclusion,       ....  483 

Historical  Index, 495 

Chronology,  ....,,,.  507 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIOJ^S. 


PAGE 

A  large  round  shot  went  hissing  through  the  air  and 

struck  against  the  solid  wall  of  Fort  Sumter, 

(Frontispiece) 

Crummels'  Junction, 1 

"When  will  the  train  come?"       .....  7 
Away  they  flew,  pursued  bj'  tlie  angry  male  attendant, 

whose  horse  fell  and  dislocated  his  shoulder,  27 

"Florida  Cracker," 41 

A  swish,  a  swirl  in  the  water,  a  rush,  a  clicking  reel, 

the  slender  rod  bent  almost  double,         .         .  47 

John  Brown,          ........  73 

"The  United  States  troops  have  arrived,  and  I  am 

sent  to  demand  your  surrender, "      .         .         .74 

Abraham  Lincoln,          .......  90 

"I  have  brought  you  Peter  Hart, "  she  said,          .         .  115 

"Elsie,  I  hope  you  realize  our  situation,"    .         .         .  141 
"Hold  on!  stop  that!  .   .   .  If  you  ever  sing  agin  we'll 

fire  you  through  the  lee  port, "         .         .         .  159 

How  "  he"  looked 177 

"I  pity  the  fellow  who  wears  those  pants,  Elsie  ;  he'd 

have  to  advance  and  retreat  at  the  same  time, "  188 

Jeff.  Davis, 201 

"  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, "  was  all  he  could  think 

of 207 

"Boys,  let's  talk  it  over," 229 

Duel  between  the  Monitor  and  Merrimac,    .         .        .  234 
xvii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

"That  you,  Yank?" 259 

"Even  these  sacred  places  have  been  made  into  bar- 
racks,"        268 

"Tofool  the  Johnny  Rebs?" 277 

"My  commission,  my   honor,  my  life  you  can  take, 

but  you  shall  not  have  her  !"    ....  291 

"I'm  a  rebel  tii'ed  of  the  business, "      ....  333 

General  George  G.  Meade 340 

"Mark! — cousin! — old  friend,  has  it  come  to  this?"    .  353 

Then  a  warm,  soft,  loving  hand  took  his,    .         .         .  3G4 

General  Robert  E.  Lee, 374 

General  W.  T.  Sherman, 379 

"Elsie!" 385 

"To  think,  I  have  been  five  years  courting  another 

man's  wife  I "  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  408 

"When  next  you  hear  from  me,  it  shall  be  in  connec- 
tion with  some  terrible  deed,"        .         .         .  413 
Booth  was  seen  leaning  on  his  crutches,  trying  to  get 

a  shot  at  his  enemies,       .         .         .         .         .  424 

Andrew  Johnson,  ........  435 

Ulysses  S.  Grant, 449 

Horace  Greeley,     . 452 

Samuel  J.  Tilden 462 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes, 463 

Winfield  Scott  Hancock,        ......  469 

James  A.  Garfield, .  471 

Chester  A.  Arthur, 472 

Benjamin  F.  Butler, 474 

James  G.  Blaine, 475 

Grover  Cleveland, 477 

Benjamin  Harrison,       ....,,..  484 

William  McKinley 488 

Map  of  the  period,          ....         =         ,.  302 


UNION. 


CHAPTER   I. 


LOVE    AND    MADXESS. 


BOUT  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon on  a  bleak  October  day, 
a  close  carriage  driven  by  a 
-  negro  coachman,  drawn  by 
^l--r  a  pair  of  blooded  but  jad- 
^■.  ^  ed  horses  reached  Crum- 
mels Junction.  Crummels 
Junction  in  the  ante-bel- 
lum days  was  much  like  the  ordinary  junctions  of 
to-day.  People  who  travel  much,  never  cease  to 
wonder  why  the  crossest  depot  agents  that  can  be 
found  are  always  located  at  junctions,  where  there 
is  nothing  but  a  depot,  a  store  and  a  saloon,  but 
such  seems  to  be  the  case.  The  carriage  crossed 
the  track,  which  seemed  to  require  all  the  strength 
of  the  horses,  for  the  rails  and  ties  were  above  the 
embankment,  and  tlie  section  manager  apparently 
1 


2  UNION. 

had  taken  special  pains  to  have  that  crossing  par- 
ticularly inconvenient  and  dangerous  to  anything 
lighter  than  an  ox  cart. 

The  cold,  raw  wind  sweeping  across  a  stretch  of 
bleak  prairie,  dotted  here  and  there  with  houses, 
wood  sheds,  hay  stacks,  and  rail  fences,  howled 
about  the  store,  saloon  and  depot  in  a  mournful 
manner.  There  was  not  a  tavern  or  public  house 
at  Crummels,  and  the  travellers  in  the  carriage 
evidently  did  not  expect  to  tarry  long  at  this  un- 
inviting spot. 

The  vehicle  was  an  elegant  conveyance  and,  had 
the  air  been  balmy,  would  have  brought  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  junction  out  to  gaze  on  it  in 
open-mouthed  wonder.  The  negro  coachman  drove 
it  as  near  to  the  platform  as  he  could  and,  alight- 
ing with  the  good  manners  of  a  well-bred  servant 
in  an  aristocratic  household,  opened  the  door  of 
the  carriage  saying: 

"  Heah  ye  are,  massa!" 

A  young  man,  well  muffled,  alighted  from  the 
carriage  to  the  platform,  and  assisted  a  tall  lady, 
heavily  veiled,  to  get  out.  Another  gentleman 
appeared,  and  the  two  half  led  and  half  carried 
from  the  coach  a  feeble  young  creature,  who, 
though  she  was  closely  veiled,  one  could  see  was 
an  invalid. 

Her  head   drooped,  and  she  seemed  only  half 

RBO  ■ 

MoU 


LOVE  AND  MADNESS.  3 

conscious.  As  soon  as  she  was  on  the  platform, 
the  woman  who  had  preceded  her  came  to  her  side 
and  in  a  low  affectionate  tone  said : 

"  Do  you  feel  stronger,  dear?" 

The  invalid  made  no  response,  but  stared  at  her 
with  her  great  eyes  through  the  veil.  Those  large 
and  beautiful  eyes,  sad  to  say,  were  expressionless. 
The  blank  stare  of  insanity  or  delirium  beamed 
from  them.  She  saw  nothing  real  and  her  poor, 
tortured  mind  could  scarce  recognize  those  friends 
who  were  doing  all  possible  for  her  comfort. 

"  Let  us  go  into  the  depot, "  said  one  of  the  men, 
shivering  with  cold. 

"Do  you  see  any  one  in  there,  George?"  the 
tall  lady  asked. 

"  No,  the  place  seems  almost  if  not  quite  de- 
serted ;  but  I  suppose  some  one  will  be  here  before 
the  train  arrives. "  They  entered  the  depot  wait- 
ing-room,— one  of  those  diminutive  affairs  always 
found  at  out-of-the-way  stations,  over  which  the 
most  ill-natured  and  inaccessible  agent  presides. 
The  floor  was  freshly  swept;  there  was  a  fire  in  the 
round,  large  stove,  three  of  the  most  inconvenient 
benches  which  a  depot  architect's  ingenuity  can 
invent,  were  fastened  to  the  walls.  The  'walls 
were  ornamented  only  with  unreliable  railroad 
maps,  timetables  and  misleading  railroad  advertis- 
ing.     There  was  a  square  box,  two-thirds  full  of 


4  UNION. 

sawdust,  well  moistened  and  stained  with  tobacco 
juice. 

The  sad  little  party  did  not  give  the  apartment 
a  detailed  survey.  Three  of  the  party  looked 
fatigued,  and  the  poor  young  lady,  or  rather  girl, 
for  she  was  scarcely  more,  had  an  air  of  settled 
melancholy  and  indifference. 

"  Here  is  a  seat  for  you,"  said  the  young  man 
called  George,  with  a  sigh.  "  It  is  the  best  we  can 
do." 

"  Come,  dear,  sit  down — there  now,  lean  your 
head  on  me  if  you  are  tired,"  the  lady  said  to  the 
invalid. 

George  went  to  the  office  to  see  when  the  train 
left,  and  found  the  ticket  window  closed. 

"Isn't  the  agent  in  there,  George?"  asked  the 
other  young  man. 

"No,  Charles." 

"  Well,  if  you  will  look  around  you  may  find 
him,"  said  Charles  with  a  grim  smile.  "  Probably 
he  is  helping  unload  freight,  or  upon  a  side  track 
coupling  cars,  or  over  across  the  railroad  helping 
a  farmer  kill  hogs.  Or  maybe  he  has  gone  to 
another  town  with  a  team  to  carry  some  passengers. " 

George  felt  very  much  inclined  to  utter  some 
unpleasant  remarks  about  the  agent;  but  as  his 
pitying  gaze  alighted  on  the  unfortunate  object  of 
his  journey,  his  eyes  grew  dim  with  moisture,  and 


LOVE  AND  MADNESS.  5 

lie  heaved  a  sigh.  Waiting  at  a  depot  is  never 
pleasant,  and  at  a  conntrv  junction,  such  as  Crum- 
mels,  it  is  particularly  unpleasant.  It  seemed  as 
if  the  management  of  the  road  had  determined  that 
no  one  who  passed  that  spot  should  ever  forget  it. 

"Are  you  tired?"  asked  the  young  man  called 
George,  going  over  to  where  the  woman  and  invalid 
sat. 

"Oh,  yes,"  was  the  answer  with  a  half -drawn 
sigh;  "  but  we  must  make  the  best  of  it;  can  you 
learn  nothing  of  the  train?" 

"  No;  the  genius  who  presides  over  this  impor- 
tant post  seems  invisible,"  said  George  bitterly. 
There  was  a  spice  of  satire  in  his  words,  yet  they 
were  full  of  sadness.  Hopes  and  ambitions 
crushed,  a  heart  overburdened  and  bowed  beneath 
its  weight  of  sorrow,  were  all  exjiressed  in  his  low, 
sad  voice.  George  with  his  hands  clasped  behind 
his  back,  began  walking  back  and  forth  across  the 
floor  of  the  narrow  depot.  Charles  went  out  to 
the  platform  and  instructed  the  colored  driver  to 
go  back  about  a  mile  to  a  farm  house,  feed  the 
horses,  and  wait  until  the  train  came,  then  to  re- 
turn for  him. 

"  I  am  going  to  stay  with  them  until  they  are 
off,"  he  added. 

"Yes,  massa — I'll  come." 

The  negro  was  anxious  to  be  gone,  for  the  chill 


6  UNION. 

winds  seemed  to  pierce  his  bones,  and  he  turned 
the  horses  about  and  sped  away.  While  all  this 
was  transpiring,  George  was  sadly  pacing  the  nar- 
row confines  of  the  depot  asking  himself  when  and 
how  this  would  all  end.  The  poor  young  girl, 
whose  white  face  rested  on  the  shoulder  of  her  lady 
attendant,  had  closed  her  eyes  as  if  to  sleep,  but 
only  to  see  visions  more  terrible  than  a  sane  mind 
can  imagine.  Suddenly  a  rude,  heavy  tramp  was 
heard  outside,  the  door  was  swung  open,  and  a 
man  with  red  face,  blue  cap,  and  pencil  behind  his 
ear  entered.  He  closed  the  door  with  such  a  bang, 
that  the  poor  girl,  whose  nerves  were  already 
shattered,  started  up  with  a  half-uttered  shriek, 
and  it  required  the  soothing  words  and  caresses 
of  her  companion  for  several  moments  to  quiet 
her. 

But  what  did  the  station  agent  care  for  a  nervous 
girl?  He  seemed  to  have  more  business  than  the 
general  manager  of  the  road.  Drawing  a  great 
bunch  of  nerve-shattering  keys,  he  dashed  one 
into  the  lock  of  the  side  door  and,  opening  it,  en- 
tered, banged  the  door  after  him,  and  threw  up 
the  ticket  window,  as  if  to  give  the  outside  world 
a  view  of  the  great  man  at  work.  He  sat  at  a 
desk  and  proceeded  to  count  some  money  which  he 
took  from  his  vest  pocket  with  an  air  of  importance 
of  which  the  treasurer  of  the  United  States  might 


LOVE  AND  MADNESS. 


well  be  proud.  Men  have  an  idea  that  inaccessi- 
bility is  evidence  of  greatness,  and  there  is  not  a 
more  inaccessible  man  than  the  manager  of  a  coun- 
try depot  station.  The 
smaller  the  stiition  the  more 
inaccessible. 

"  When  will  the  train 
come?"  George  ventured 
to  ask. 

The  brow  of  the  superior 
being  corrugated,  and  he 
went  on  counting  a  pile  of 
one-dollar  bills,  acting  as 
if  he  had  a  very  dim  idea  / 
that  he  had  been  spoken  "^ 
to;  but  he  waited  until  the 
monej^  was  in  the  safe,  and 
he  had  turned  the  knob, 
and  then  answered,  "  I 
don't  know,"  so  sharply 
that,  had  George  been 
alone,  he  would  have  walked  to  the  next  station. 
This  important  task  done,  the  agent  bustled  out  of 
his  narrow  box-like  ofhce,  slammed  the  door  of  the 
stove,  as  though  he  was  afraid  George  would  steal 
a  stick  of  wood,  or  run  away  with  the  lining. 
Although  George  was  wealthy,  and  the  care  of  his 
horses  cost  him  more  than  the  agent's  salary,  the 


'When  will  the  train  come?" 


8  UNION. 

agent  seemed  to  regard  him  as  a  three-card-monte 
man,  and  his  entire  party  as  intruders. 

Going  out,  the  agent  closed  the  door  with  an- 
other bang  which  aroused  the  invalid,  and  once 
more  brought  forth  a  cry  of  dread  and  fear. 
George  was  inclined  to  follow  him  and  punch  his 
head,  but  checked  this  impulse.  He  went  out  on 
the  platform,  and  saw  this  superior  being  helping 
a  woman,  evidently  his  landlady,  hang  out  clothes 
in  the  back  yard.  This  task  done,  he  fell  to  split- 
ting stove  wood  out  of  old  railroad  ties. 

Night  drew  nearer,  it  became  more  drear,  and 
the  station  agent  entered,  lighted  a  greasy  lamp  in 
the  waiting-room,  chucked  more  wood  in  the  stove, 
and  lighted  a  lamp  in  his  own  apartment. 

Uncomplaining  and  patient,  the  young  woman 
sat  with  the  afflicted  maiden  at  her  side,  trying  to 
keep  her  wandering  mind  to  the  realities  of  life. 
This  was  impossible,  for  the  vagaries  of  delusion 
constantly  haunted  her.  At  times  she  saw  what 
seemed  starry  heavens,  which  were  accompanied 
by  indescribable  horrors,  so  that  she  wanted  to  lly. 
There  was  ever  present  a  demon  of  fear.  She 
heard  voices  calling  her  from  out  of  space,  and, 
turning,  found  no  one.  She  had  the  most  unac- 
countable nightmare,  in  which  she  was  tormented 
by  fiends  and  goblins.  At  times,  her  tormentors 
assumed  the  shape  of  the  devil,  and  at  others  of 


LOVE  AND  MADNESS.  9 

a  sea  serpent.  Sometimes  she  seemed  to  go  off 
into  space,  eluding  their  grasp.  This  was  accom- 
panied by  a  sense  of  suffocation,  a  feeling  as  of  one 
coming  out  from  the  influence  of  ether.  Kaising 
her  pale,  yet  beautiful  face  to  the  woman  on  whose 
shoulder  she  had  been  resting,  she  asked: 

"  Has  he  come  ?  " 

"  Who,  dear?" 

"  The  doctor — the  one  who  is  to  drive  away 
these  demons." 

"  Not  yet,  be  patient,  dear — all  will  be  well." 

"  Oh,  you  say  so,  Lucy,  yet  you  don't  know — 
you  can't  know." 

"  Won't  you  try  to  sleep,  dear?" 

"  No,  this  is  no  hotel.  Call  the  servant — where 
is  Maria?" 

The  station-agent  came  back  again.  He  was  in 
his  element,  for  the  train  was  two  hours  late,  and 
he  sat  working  at  his  telegraphic  instrument  as  if 
the  world  rested  on  his  shoulders.  The  patient 
George  listened  to  the  constant  click  of  the  instru- 
ment, and  would  have  given  ten  dollars  to  know 
what  was  going  over  the  wires.  Occasionally  the 
station-agent  laughed  at  something  the  instrument 
said,  and  just  as  George  began  to  think  the  news 
of  the  world  was  being  stored  in  his  massive  brain, 
a  young  country  lout  in  blue  drillen  roundabout, 
his  pants  in  his  boots,  entered,  wiping  his  nose  on 


10  UNION. 

his  mitten.  The  agent  turned  and,  in  a  most  com- 
monplace manner,  said: 

"  Hello,  Jack,  there  is  goin'  to  be  a  dance  at  the 
hop  yard  at  Baylis  Siding  to-night,  and  they  want 
us  to  come  up  on  No.  4. " 

"  How  d'ye  know,  Charley?"  the  lout  asked. 

"  Susie  just  now  told  me. " 

George  now  realized  that  the  agent,  all  these 
long  hours  that  he  had  been  watching  the  varied 
expressions  of  his  calm  and  mysterious  face,  had 
been  chaffing  with  the  female  operator  at  the  next 
station.  The  big  country  bumpkin  took  a  chew  of 
pi  iig  tobacco  and  said  : 

"  I  guess  I  will  go  and  brush  up  a  little  and  put 
on  a  clean  shirt  before  No.  4  comes. "  To  which 
the  operator  responded : 

"Be  sure  to  be  on  hand,  Jack;  we'll  have  a 
daisy  time  at  the  dance. " 

Great  consolation  this  bit  of  information  was  to 
George,  who  was  waiting  with  greatest  of  anxiety 
to  know  how  soon  they  could  leave  this  miserable 
place.  He  turned  away  from  the  narrow  window 
and  glanced  at  the  two  females  sitting  in  the  cor- 
ner. His  brother  Charles  who  had  been  prome- 
nading a  few  moments  on  the  damp  platform  en- 
tered the  station  and  in  a  subdued  tone  asked: 

"  Can  you  get  anything  out  of  that  idiot?" 

"No;  he's  too  much  interested  in  a  dance  that 


LOVE  AND  MADNESS.  11 

comes  off  somewhere  to-night,  to  pay  much  atten- 
tion to  the  business  of  the  road." 

Then  George  turned  his  sad  gray  eyes  in  pity 
on  the  unfortunate  maiden,  and  asked: 

"  Do  you  think  she  can  stand  it  much  longer?" 

"I  don't  know." 

"Oh,  it  is  awful!  My  God!  why  should  the 
train  be  late  at  this  time,  above  all  others?" 

"  I  don't  know,  George.  This  has  been  one  of 
the  most  unfortunate  events  of  our  lives. " 

"  Yes;  it  seems  like  a  horrible  nightmare.. "  He 
folded  his  arms  across  his  breast  and  walked  back 
and  forth,  softly,  so  as  not  to  disturb  the  unfortu- 
nate maiden.  Then  he  came  to  his  brother's  side 
and  said : 

"Charles,  try  and  console  mother;  if  possible, 
reconcile  her  to  this  step.  It  is  the  best  that  could 
be  done. " 

"  I  know  it,  George." 

"  Mother  is  a  true  Christian.  Tell  her  to  put 
her  faith  in  Him  who  comforts  the  afflicted." 

"I  will,  George,  though  I  don't  just  now  feel 
very  religious, "  and  he  cast  a  savage  glance  at  the 
window  of  the  ticket  office. 

George  muttered  some  unintelligible  words  be- 
tween his  teeth  and  said  something  about  horse- 
whipping a  puppy  for  his  impudence,  then  went 
out  on  the  platform  to  try  to  pick  up  an  acquaint- 


12  VIRION. 

ance  with  the  man  who  ran  the  horse -power 
threshing  machine.  He  was  more  communicative 
than  the  station  agent,  for  lie  did  not  live  in  such 
an  exalted  atmosphere.  There  is  no  man  who 
knows  more  than  the  junction  agent,  about  every- 
thing, if  you  only  possess  the  gift  of  drawing  him 
out.  Though  only  four  trains  a  day  stop  at  his 
station,  and  they  halt  only  long  enough  to  let  off 
some  unfortunate  wretch  whom  circumstances 
force  to  get  off,  however  reluctant  he  may  be  to 
do  so,  the  agent  is  in  his  element  for  a  brief  mo- 
ment. He  addresses  the  conductor  as  "Jim,"  or 
"George,"  or  "Billy,"  and  asks,  with  a  show  of 
interest  as  deep  as  a  division  superintendent,  where 
he  passed  "No.  1,"  and  if  "No.  6"  is  going  to 
be  on  time.  He  may  even  ask  something  about 
railroad  stocks  in  a  manner  that  would  convince 
one  that  he  was  bulling  the  market,  when  in  real- 
ity he  might  not  have  eleven  dollars  left  from  his 
last  month's  salary.  Such  an  agent  was  at  Crum- 
mels  Junction ,  and  had  not  George  been  weighed 
down  with  grief  and  humiliation,  he  might  have 
resented  the  fellow's  impudence. 

After  a  fe\^  moments  on  the  platform,  George 
took  a  glance  down  the  long  railroad  track  along 
which  it  was  hoped  the  train  would  come,  and 
strained  his  ear  to  catch  the  sound.  Already  it 
was  night,  and  the  damp  fog,  which  had  settled 


LOVE  AND  MADNESS.  13 

like  a  pall  over  the  entire  landscape,  seemed  to 
cut  off  the  entire  world,  and  no  sound  save  a 
farmer  calling  hogs,  or  the  barking  of  dogs  reached 
the  ears  of  the  young  man.  With  a  sigh,  he  en- 
tered the  depot,  shivering  with  cold  and  damp. 
The  patient  Lucy  was  still  supporting  the  delirious 
maiden. 

"  Is  it  coming?"  she  asked. 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  Are  you  tired,  Lucy?" 

"  Yes. " 

"  Let  me  sit  by  her  while  you  walk  about,  and 
rest  yourself. " 

"  I  think  we  had  better  not  disturb  her  now. " 

"Is  she  asleep?"  he  asked  in  low,  cautious 
voice. 

"  I  don't  know " 

At  this  the  afflicted  maiden  started  up,  saying: 

"  What  is  it?  what  did  you  say?  Is  she  com- 
ing? I  have  told  you  all  the  time  she  would;  but 
you  would  not  believe  me.  George — George — 
what  are  you  thinking  about?" 

"  It  is  all  right,"  George  said. 

"  All  right — that  is  what  you  have  told  me  all 
the  time;  but  didn't  I  see  her  put  the  poison  in 
the  cup?  Where  is  Maria?  she  saw  her  too. 
Maria,  Maria!" 

"Hush,  dear,  Maria  is  not  here,"  Lucy  said  in 


14  UNION. 

a  low,  soothing  tone.  "  We  are  travelling  now, 
we  are  going  soon.  " 

"  Are  we  going  home,  Lucy?" 

"Yes,  dear." 

"  Now  you  won't  deceive  me,  will  you?" 

"No,  no,  dear." 

"  Oh,  Lucy,  I  want  to  go  home — I  want  to  go 
home — why  did  they  ever  take  me  away  ?  There 
are  no  serpents  nor  insects  there,  such  as  I  see 
here,  day  and  night, — oh — there  is  one  on  my 
hand!" 

"  No,  dear,  it  is  not " 

"Take  it  off!" 

Lucy  made  a  gesture,  as  if  brushing  something 
away,  and  the  invalid  said: 

"  There,  see,  Lucy,  you  have  taken  off  my  hand ! 
— put  it  on  again. " 

"It  is  all  right,  dear, "  Lucy  responded,  care- 
fully caressing  her  hand,  and  soothingly  assuring 
her  that  she  would  be  cared  for. 

"  I  am  so  glad,  Lucy,  that  we  are  going  home 
at  last.  Oh,  it  has  been  so  long — so  long  since  I 
left  my  home — I  have  suffered  so  much — where  is 
Maria? — Has  the  doctor  come  yet?" 

"  Be  quiet,  dear,  we  have  strangers  about  us 
now." 

"  Sing  to  me,  Lucy." 

Lucy,    whose    voice    was    choking    with    grief, 


LOVE  AND  3IADNESS.  15 

whispered  that  she  could  not  sing,  and  as  a  mother 
soothes  an  affrighted  child,  so  she  quieted  the 
nerve -shattered  maiden,  coaxing  her  to  be  quiet 
until  the  train  came,  when  they  would  go. 

For  the  hundredth  time,  George  had  gone  to  the 
platform  to  look  for  the  train  and  came  back  dis- 
appointed. 

"Can  I  get  tickets  now?"  he  asked,  going  to 
the  window. 

"Yes;  how  many  do  you  want?"  growled  the 
agent. 

"  Three. " 

"  Eeturn-trip  tickets?" 

"Only  two  of  us  will  return — one  will  not!" 
and  his  voice  was  almost  choked  with  grief.  The 
tickets  were  stamped  and  handed  to  him.  He  put 
down  a  golden  double  eagle  and  received  his 
change.  Then  he  sat  down  near  his  female  com- 
panions, and  bowing  his  head  on  his  chest,  closed 
his  eyes. 

People  who  travel  soon  learn  to  dread  junction 
waiting.  Nowhere  in  the  world  does  time  hang 
so  heavily  as  at  the  station;  but  when  one  has  an 
invalid  with  whom  it  is  important  to  reach  their 
destination  as  quickly  as  possible,  time  hangs  with 
double  weight  upon  them.  George  was  almost  in 
a  state  of  unconsciousness  when  his  brother  Charles 
said: 


16  UNION. 

"  George,  it's  coming." 

"At  last! — thank  God!"  he  ejaculated,  starting 
up. 

There  was  a  little  bustle  in  the  depot.  A  dozen 
people  had  entered  to  see  the  train  come  in. 
Most  of  them  were  countr}-  boys  in  brown  home- 
spun and  slouched  hats  who  stood  with  hands  in 
their  pockets,  and  in  open-mouthed  wonder  gazed 
at  the  monster  as  it  went  puffing  by.  Through 
this  crowd  of  idle  loafers,  they  conveyed  the  un- 
fortunate maiden,  who  shrank  from  sight  of  every 
one,  and  seemed  liable  to  go  frantic  at  the  slight- 
est noise. 

George  heard  the  agent  accost  the  engineer 
familiarly  with: 

"Hello,  Roxy,  you're  late." 

"Yes." 

"  How  long  before  No.  4  will  come?" 

"In  half  an  hour." 

"  Glad  o'  that,  we're  goin'  up  to  the  dance." 

"Where?" 

"  At  Baylises  Siding. " 

"Wish  T  could  go." 

It  required  the  united  efforts  of  the  three  rela- 
tives to  get  the  unfortunate  maiden  through  the 
noisy  crowd  and  hissing  steam  to  the  cars.  The 
conductor  was  shouting: 

"All  aboard!" 


LOVE  AXD  MADXESS.  17 

"  Do  you  run  a  sleeping  coach  on  this  train?" 
asked  George. 

"No." 

Sleeping  coaches  at  this  time  were  very  uncom- 
mon. They  were  shown  to  the  rear  car,  which 
was  reserved  for  ladies,  and  found  seats  upholstered 
with  dark  leather,  but  more  comfortable  than  the 
benches  of  the  depot.  Tlie  elegant  red  velvet 
plush  seats  and  reclining  chairs  which  make  rail- 
road travel  a  luxury  to-day  were  not  common 
then. 

They  got  comfortable  seats,  and  George  said: 

"  Lucy,  I  will  sit  by  and  watch  over  her  to-night- 
Take  this  vacant  seat  behind  us  and  try  to  get 
some  sleep. " 

Charles,  who  had  followed  them  into  the  train 
with  bandboxes  and  travelling  bags,  bade  George 
adieu,  kissed  Luc}"  and  the  invalid  affectionately, 
and  then  darted  out  as  the  car  began  to  move. 
The  louts  on  the  platform  uttered  diabolical  and 
senseless  yells  as  the  train  rolled  away. 

"  What  is  it?     George — George,  are  you  here?" 

"Yes." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  We  are  going  now  I" 

"Home?" 

"Yes,  home!"  he  answered  with  a  suppressed 
sob. 

2 


18  UNION. 

Then  he  thought  that  only  two  of  them  would 
come  back,  and  a  moisture  gathered  in  his  eyes. 
"It's  for  the  best — I  know  it's  for  the  best,"  he 
said. 

At  his  side  the  unfortunate  being  crouched, 
sometimes  covering  her  head,  and  shivering  with 
fear.  The  conductor  passed  through  taking  up  the 
tickets.  When  George,  worn  out  from  excessive 
watching  and  anxiety,  closed  his  eyes  for  a  mo- 
ment, he  was  startled  by  a  movement  on  the  part 
of  the  girl  at  his  side.  Looking  at  her,  he  found 
her  sitting  bolt  upright  staring  about  her,  with  her 
great,  insane  eyes,  as  if  she  were  seeking  some 
one,  or  looking  for  an  opportunity  to  fly. 

"  Lie  down ;  place  your  head  on  my  shoulder, " 
he  said  in  a  low,  gentle  tone. 

She  obeyed  and,  nestling  her  head  on  his  broad 
shoulder,  as  she  had  so  often  done  in  childhood, 
she  whispered : 

"  George,  are  we  going  home?" 

"Yes." 

It  almost  broke  his  heart  to  deceive  her;  but  he 
could  not  tell  the  truth.  Yes,  George  lied.  The 
home  to  which  he  was  taking  her  was  one  from 
which  all  shrink  with  dread.  He  had  ever  been 
her  favorite  brother,  for  he  was  almost  fifteen 
years  her  senior,  and  she  had  looked  up  to  him  in 
early  childhood  with  the   utmost  confidence.     In 


LOVE  AND  3IADNESS.  19 

all  her  career  of  fantastic  madness,  even  thougli 
she  denied  father  and  mother,  George  was  to  her 
the  same  George  of  her  early  childhood,  ever 
trusted,  ever  noble  and  grand.  His  voice  soothed 
her  alarm  and  drove  away  those  demoniacal  crea- 
tures of  "  bromide,"  when  no  other  would. 

"  George,  am  I  going  home?" 

"Yes." 

Then  she  was  quiet  for  awhile.  Only  the  sullen 
roar  of  iron  wheels  on  the  damp  cold  rails  fell  on 
their  ears.  The  seat  before  them  was  occupied  by 
a  large  middle-aged  bald-headed  gentleman,  who 
half  lay  and  half  sat  in  it.  Over  the  back  of  the 
seat  could  be  seen  his  bald  cranium,  bare  and 
white,  glistening  in  the  dim  light,  and  when  the 
train  stopped  as  it  occasionally  did,  the  snoring  of 
the  sleeper  attested  that  his  slumber  was  profound. 

The  sleeper  was  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  fact 
that  a  madwoman  was  in  the  seat  behind  him,  and 
in  his  dreamland  wanderings  had  forgotten  railroad 
travel  and  all  its  inconveniences. 

George  never  slept.  Once  or  twice  he  was 
dozing,  but  at  the  slightest  rustling  of  his  sister's 
silk  dress,  he  was  aroused.  He  found  her  sitting 
up  again  leaning  forward  with  fingers  read}'  to 
pluck  something,  and,  to  his  mortification,  found 
the  bald  head  of  the  sleeper  in  front  the  object  of 
her  diseased  fancy. 


20  UNION. 

"  Come,  come,  sister,"  lie  said  soothingly,  "  don't 
do  that!  lie  down,"  and  he  drew  her  head  on  his 
shoulder. 

"George,  am  I  going  home?"  she  asked  again. 

"  Yes. " 

"  I  don'tbelieve  it.      This  is  not  the  road," 

"  We  will  come  to  the  right  road." 

"  Where  is  Maria?     I  want  Maria." 

"  Don't  you  remember  you  became  angry  at  her 
and  said  she  should  not  come  with  you?" 

"  Yes,  I  believe  I  did ;  but  how  am  I  to  do 
without  a  maid?" 

"Lucy  will  be  your  maid,"  he  answered. 
"  Come  now,  try  to  go  to  sleep. " 

"I  can't — when  I  try,  there  is  something  that 
comes  crawling  all  over  me. " 

"It  is  nothing;  it  is  only  your  imagination. 
Don't  you  know  I  won't  let  you  be  harmed?" 

She  was  again  soothed,  and  this  time  he  thought 
she  slept.  He  was  so  tired  that  he  could  scarcely 
keep  his  eyes  open;  and  despite  all  his  anxiety 
and  watchfulness,  had  once  more  begun  to  sink 
away  into  slumberland,  when  the  rustling  of  the 
silk  dress  at  his  side  awoke  him.  Again  she  was 
sitting  up  leaning  over  the  seat  in  front.  That 
bald  head  before  her  seemed  to  have  some  special 
attraction,  and  fingers  and  thumb  were  held  as  if 
to  grab  something.      He  was  only  in  time  to  pre- 


LOVE  AND  MADNESS.  21 

vent  her  giving  the  sleeper's  bare  pate  a  nip  which 
would  undoubtedly  have  aroused  him. 

"  You  must  not  do  this, — you  must  not." 

"Why?" 

"  You  must  not  wake  the  stranger. " 

"  But  I  saw  it  crawling  there!" 

"What?" 

"  The  bug  or  spider.  It's  on  his  head,  and  I 
want  to  pluck  it  off;  look  and  you  will  see  it." 

"No,  no;  it's  only  your  imagination.  Do  lie 
quiet.     Don't  disturb  the  stranger." 

"Stranger?  why,  brother,  he  is  no  stranger." 

"He  is." 

"  Isn't  that  brother  Charles?" 

"  No ;  Charles  was  left  back  at  Crummels  Junc- 
tion." 

"  Is  that  so?  well,  I  had  forgotten.  I  thought  it 
was  him,  and  that  the  spider  might  bite  him." 

Then  she  laid  her  head  down  against  her 
brother's  shoulder  and  slept  a  long  time.  Fatigue 
had  at  last  overcome  the  abnormal  activity  of  her 
brain,  and  she  did  not  awake  until  broad  da3^ 
The  train  was  still  flying  along  through  a  wooded 
country.  The  trees  and  fences  were  dripping  from 
the  dampness,  and  as  they  were  whirled  past  farm 
houses,  they  saw  evidences  of  life.  At  one  a  man 
was  feeding  some  hungry  pigs,  at  another  a  farmer 
was  seen  washing  his  face  in  a  tin  basin  by  the  rain- 


22  UNION. 

water  barrel.  He  took  a  towel  and  wiped  his  eyes, 
then  stared  at  the  train.  A  little  further  on  they 
saw  a  negro  boy  riding  a  colt,  which  was  fright- 
ened at  the  train  and  trying  to  run  away.  On, 
on  and  on  they  whirled,  across  a  creek  spanned 
by  a  bridge  and  through  a  grove.  Next  they  sped 
through  a  village  without  stopping.  They  saw  a 
negro  woman  standing  on  the  rear  porch  with  a 
broom  in  her  hand,  and  a  red  bandanna  handker- 
chief about  her  head.  There  were  people  in  the 
streets,  in  stores  and  at  the  depot. 

On  they  sped  like  the  wind  and  a  few  moments 
were  among  the  stony  hills.  The  train  whirled 
on,  and  as  the  hour  grew  later,  they  saw  men  and 
negroes  going  to  the  villages  in  wagons,  on  horse- 
back or  on  foot.  The  face  of  the  country  had 
changed. 

Soon  there  was  evidence  of  approaching  a  larger 
town  or  city.  Lucy,  who  had  been  awake  for 
some  time,  asked  George: 

"  Is  she  asleep?" 

"  No. " 

"  Did  she  sleep  during  the  night?" 

"  Yes,  some." 

At  this,  the  invalid  started  up  and  asked: 

"What  is  it?" 

"  We  will  soon  be  there,  dear,  be  quiet." 

"  Lucy,  take  my  place  in  this  seat, "  said  George. 


LOVE  AND  3IADNESS.  2d 

She  did  so.  The  sick  girl  had  by  this  time  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  nearly  all  in  the  car. 
George  went  to  the  conductor,  who  was  entering 
at  the  front  door,  and  held  a  short  consultation 
with  him.  On  returning,  the  bald-headed  man, 
who  had  waked  up,  heard  him  say: 

"  The  conductor  says  we  will  find  carriages  at 
the  depot  to  take  us. " 

"How  far  is  it?" 

"  We  will  be  there  in  ten  minutes. " 

"  I  am  so  glad. " 

George  was  both  glad  and  sorry.  He  was  like 
one  going  to  the  funeral  of  a  near  relative,  glad 
when  it  would  be  over,  yet  filled  with  grief  while 
it  was  transpiring.  He  was  a  young  man,  tall 
and  handsome,  with  a  strong  and  vigorous  frame, 
but  care  had  furrowed  his  cheeks,  and  there  were 
flecks  of  gray  in  his  hair,  which  could  not  have 
been  seen  six  months  ago. 

At  last  the  train  ran  into  the  depot,  and  the  in- 
valid was  assisted  from  the  coach.  The  two  young 
women  sat  in  a  great  crowded  depot,  while  George 
went  out  to  hunt  for  a  convej^ance.  He  found 
one  and  came  back.  There  was  a  lunch  room 
near,  and  he  said: 

"  Lucy,  won't  you  have  a  bite  of  breakfast  and 
some  coffee?" 

"  No. " 


24  UNION. 

"Don't  you  feel  faint?" 

"  Yes;  but  let  us  get  tliis  over  with." 

She  asked  the  invalid,  who  sat  staring  into 
vacancy,  if  she  would  not  have  some  breakfast, 
and  she  shook  her  head.  The  carriage  was  ready, 
a  trunk  and  travelling  bags  were  placed  on  it,  and 
the  three  were  soon  ensconced  in  the  vehicle,  speed- 
ing out  of  the  town. 

"  Charles,  Charles,"  called  the  invalid. 

"  Don't  call,  dear;  it  is  not  Charles." 

"  Isn't  that  Charles  with  Pete  on  the  box?" 

"  No,  dear. " 

"  Then  tell  Pete  to  go  back. " 

"  It  is  not  Pete;  see,  we  are  going  to  your  new 
home. " 

At  this  moment,  the  carriage  made  a  sweep 
round  the  bend  in  the  road  and  came  in  full  view 
of  a  large,  elegant  building  several  stories  in 
height,  with  vast  wings  and  windows,  and  beauti- 
ful grounds  ornamented  with  trees.  There  was 
ease  and  elegance  evinced  there;  but  the  windows 
had  iron  gratings  like  a  prison.  At  sight  of  it, 
George's  head  fell.  The  carriage  rolled  up  a  beau- 
tiful drive  to  the  front  of  the  building,  and  the 
party  alighted.  A  negro  slave  showed  them  into 
the  institution,  and  on  the  right  was  an  office  where 
the  president  and  principal  physician,  a  large,  well- 
preserved  man,  past  middle  age,  with  black  eyes 


LOVE  AND  MADXESS.  25 

and  iron-gray  hair,  was  found  sitting  at  his  desk. 
He  rose  on  their  entrance,  for  by  the  air  and  rich 
dress  of  the  people,  he  saw  at  once  that  they  were 
of  the  wealthy  class.  It  only  needed  a  glance  for 
him  to  see  his  patient,  and  he  said: 

"She  is  tired,  let  her  sit  in  this  easy-chair." 
When  she  was  seated  he  asked  of  George,  "  How 
long  has  she  been  in  this  condition?" 

"  It  is  about  three  weeks  since  we  noticed  any 
change,  doctor. " 

Then  the  doctor  opened  a  book,  in  which  he 
wrote  a  history  of  the  young  maiden  and  her  dis- 
ease. When  he  had  done  so,  Lucy,  whose  anxiety 
to  understand  the  cause  overcame  all  medical  pro- 
priety, asked : 

"Doctor,  what  is  it?" 

The  lii)s  of  the  doctor  were  compressed  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  he  said: 

"Bromide." 

"  Can  she  be  cured?" 

"  There  is  a  hope. "  He  got  up,  muttering 
something  about  "  accursed  quackery,"  and  rang  a 
bell.  A  lady  with  a  mild,  kind  face  appeared, 
and  to  her  the  new  patient  was  consigned,  the  doc- 
tor merely  saying: 

"  Take  her  to  the  hospital  ward. " 

They  accompanied  her  through  long  corridors, 
where  there  were  iron  doors,  which  closed  with  a 


26  UNION. 

bang.  They  passed  gibbering,  cbattering  idiots  and 
wild-eyed  lunatics,  until  a  quiet  wing  of  the  insti- 
tution was  gained,  where  they  were  raet  by  another 
sweet-faced  woman,  a  professional  nurse.  With  her, 
George  and  Lucy  held  a  conversation,  in  which  the 
latter,  with  tears  streaming  down  her  cheeks,  said: 

"  Be  good  to  lier,  give  lier  all  the  advantages  you 
can,  and  you  shall  be  well  paid  for  your  trouble." 
Some  jingling  coins  fell  in  the  nurse's  hands.  The 
parting  was  heart-breaking.  How  could  it  be 
otherwise,  when  the  poor  sick  girl,  scarcely  more 
than  a  child,  begged  them  not  to  leave  her  in  this 
strange  place?  But  necessity  compelled  them  to 
do  so,  and  tliey  went  away. 

Three  weeks  later  the  newspapers  all  over  the 
land  published  one  of  the  most  sensational  stories 
of  which  the  American  press  can  boast.  As  the 
reader  will  see  from  the  following  clipping  from 
one  of  the  daily  papers,  the  names  were  sup- 
pressed. This  was  obviously  done  to  shield  the 
officials  in  charge  of  the  institution,  who  must 
have  been  guilty  of  the  grossest  negligence.  One 
of  the  newspaper  statements  was  as  follows : 

"LOVE  AND  MADNESS. 
"a  pair  of  lunatics  elope  fkom  an  insane  asylum 

AND   WED. 

"A  fact  has  just  leaked  out,  which  rivals  anything  in 
romance.     The  novelist  might  cudgel  his  brain  for  years, 


AWAY    THEY    FLEW,    PIHSUED    BY    THE    ANGRY    MALE    ATTENDANT,    WHOSE    HORSE 
FELL    AND    DISLOCATED    HIS    SHOCLDER. 


LOVE  AND  MADNESS.  27 

and  never  invent  a  story  more  exquisitely  fantastic.  It 
seems  that  an  insane  asylum,  less  than  a  thousand  miles 
from  this  city,  is  the  theatre  of  this  remarkable  episode. 
A  few  weeks  ago,  a  young  man,  suffering  from  some 
nervous  complaint,  aggravated  by  quack  treatment,  until 
he  was  laboring  under  delirium,  was  confined  in  the 
asylum.  He  soon  evinced  some  signs  of  recovery  and  was 
given  the  privilege  of  the  grounds.  One  day,  while  with 
his  attendant,  he  met  a  young  and  very  beautiful  female 
patient.  Insane  people  have  strange  freaks,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed that  with  these  two  lunatics  it  was  a  case  of  love  at 
first  sight.  How  they  wooed  each  other  in  the  asylum, 
where  the  male  and  female  wards  are  kept  separate,  and 
where  they  could  hardly  see  each  other,  unless  when  with 
attendants,  is  a  mystery  which  the  investigation  now  in 
progress  may  clear  up.  Perhaps  he,  Romeo-like,  met  his 
insane  Juliet  on  the  balcony  while  the  nurses  slept,  as  did 
Capulet.  Be  that  as  it  maj',  they  certainly  met  more  than 
once,  and  their  plan  of  escape  had  method  in  it,  even  if  it 
was  madness.  The  two,  being  children  of  wealthy  parents, 
had,  among  other  privileges,  saddle  horses,  and  one  day 
while  riding  about  the  grounds,  the  insane  Romeo  espied 
his  Juliet  mounted,  and  riding  with  her  attendant,  and  at 
a  preconcerted  signal  the  lovers  dashed  out  at  the  open  gate 
like  the  wind,  and  away  they  flew  along  the  road,  pursued 
by  the  angry  male  attendant,  whose  horse  fell  down  and 
dislocated  his  shoulder.  On  they  sped  for  ten  miles  to  the 
house  of  a  local  minister,  whom  they  asked  to  marry  them. 
Here  the  cunning  peculiar  to  madness  was  exercised,  and 
the  good  parson  who  performed  the  ceremonj-  had  not  the 
slightest  idea  he  was  wedding  a  pair  of  lunatics.  Having 
imposed  on  the  good  parson,  the  youngster  paid  him  ten 
dollars  in  gold,  and,  with  his  bride,  set  out — Heaven  only 
knows  where,  when  they  were  overtaken  by  the  authorities 
of  the  asylum,  and  taken  back.  It  is  said  that  these  young 
folks  are  both  from  wealthy  and  respectable  families,  and 


28  UNION. 

under  ordinary  circumstances  the  wedding  would  have 
been  unobjectionable.  As  it  is,  however,  the  indignant 
friends  and  relatives  of  these  romantic  patients  have  re- 
moved them  from  the  institution,  and  the  atmosphere  in 
that  locality  is  growing  decidedly  warm,  in  the  nature  of 
a  legal  investigation." 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    SUNNY    SOUTH. 

Jacksonville,  Florida,  is  famous  all  over  the 
world.  To  the  pale-faced  northerner  it  is  the 
Mecca  of  his  hopes,  and  yet  in  the  ante-bellum 
days  it  was  scarce  known  outside  the  State.  It  is 
not  two  score  years  since  there  was  a  corn-field  on 
the  site  of  Bay  Street,  now  the  chief  avenue  of  a 
city  of  over  seventeen  thousand  inhabitants,  which 
from  1880  to  1890  increased  in  population  124.85 
per  cent.  Jacksonville  was  once  known  as  "  Cow 
Ford. "  There  the  "  King's  Road"  in  the  old  days, 
crossed  the  river,  and  connected  the  northern  set- 
tlements with  St.  Augustine.  During  the  war,  it 
ran  to  decay.  It  was  strongly  fortified,  and  was 
clung  to  desperately  by  the  Confederates.  The 
Union  troops  occupied  it  several  times,  and  on  the 
third  assault  a  fire  broke  out,  which  did  much 
damage.  At  the  close  of  the  great  struggle,  the 
grass  stood  waist  high  in  the  streets,  and  the  cattle 
had  taken  refuge  from  the  sun  in  the  deserted 
houses.     Since  Florida  became  famous  as  a  health 

29 


So  VISION. 

resort  and  winter  garden,  northern  people  have 
swept  in  so  resistlessly  that  so  far  as  its  artificial 
features  are  concerned,  the  city  has  grown  up 
according  to  the  New  England  pattern,  though  the 
foliage,  climate  and  sun  arc  the  antipodes  of  those 
of  the  North. 

It  is  not  the  Jacksonville  of  to-dav,  but  the 
town  or  village  which  nestled  there  in  1858  and 
1859  to  which  we  call  the  attention  of  the  reader. 
It  was  a  small,  insignificant  spot,  yet  as  the  to- 
pography of  the  country  never  changes,  one  may 
judge  something  of  its  characteristics  then,  by  see- 
ing it  now.  It  was  a  frosty  morning  in  January, 
when  the  wheezy  little  coast  steamer  ran  up  the 
river  to  the  village  of  Jacksonville.  Thin  flakes 
of  ice  had  formed  in  the  little  pools  along  the 
shore,  and  the  pale  young  man  who  stood  on  the 
deck,  drew  the  folds  of  his  cloak  closer  about  him, 
and  grumbled : 

"If  this  is  the  tropical  region,  where  winter 
never  comes,  I  see  but  little  change  after  all." 

In  vain  those  who  had  been  there  before  told 
him  that  this  was  an  exceptional  winter  for  Florida, 
that  this  "  cold  snap"  would  last  but  a  few  hours; 
he  still  grumbled  and  vowed  he  would  find  warmer 
weather  or  cross  the  line.  The  scenery  along  the 
shore  was  drear  and  uninviting.  Here  and  there, 
in  the  forest  gaps,  the  negroes  had  kindled  huge 


THE  SUXNY  SOUTH.  31 

fires,  and  were  grouped  about  them,  toasting  their 
heads,  and  freezing  their  backs.  Now  and  then 
the  traveller  caught  glimpses  of  beautiful  thickets; 
or  long  stretches  of  field  carpeted  with  thick 
growths  of  palmetto,  while  in  other  places  might 
be  seen  the  distant  pine  barrens,  and  log  cabins 
swarming  with  black-skinned  negroes. 

Mark  Stevens  was  entering  the  "  Sunny  South" 
for  the  first  time.  Of  northern  climes  and  middle 
States  he  was  thoroughly  familiar.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky;  but  the  principal  part  of  his 
boyhood  and  young  manhood  had  been  spent  in 
Massachusetts.  His  pale  cheeks  and  thoughtful 
mien  betokened  the  student.  He  had  completed 
a  course  at  Harvard,  and,  as  his  health  had  suf- 
fered from  over-exertion,  he  had  taken  the  advice 
of  some  friends  and  gone  South.  Mark's  parents 
still  lived  in  Kentucky.  He  had  relatives  in  Mas- 
sachusetts and  some  distant  relatives  in  Florida, 
whom  he  expected  to  meet.  Reuben  Stevens  was 
a  wealthy  planter  in  Florida.  His  son  Alec,  a  wild, 
harum-scarum  3'oung  fellow,  yet  kind-hearted, 
and  generous,  was  with  Mark  one  year  in  college, 
and  made  him  promise  to  come  to  Florida  and  visit 
them.  He  was  now  on  his  way  to  make  that  visit, 
and  as  he  entered  the  gatewa}'  of  the  great  penin- 
sula, he  paused  for  a  moment  to  reflect  upon  its 
history.     Fact  and  fancy  here  wandered  hand  in 


32  UNION. 

hand.  The  aiiy  chronicles  of  the  ancient  fathers 
hovered  upon  the  confines  of  the  impossible.  The 
austere  northerner  and  the  cynical  European  mur- 
mur incredulously  at  the  tales  of  modern  writers 
who  grow  enthusiastic  over  the  charms  of  this  new 
winter  paradise.  Yet  what  of  fiction  should  ex- 
ceed in  romantic  interest  the  history  of  this  vener- 
able State?  What  artist  could  paint  foliage  whose 
splendors  would  ecfual  that  of  the  virgin  forests 
of  the  Oclawaha  and  Indian  rivers?  What  "  foun- 
tain of  youth"  could  be  imagined  more  redolent 
with  enchantment  than  the  "  Silver  Spring, "  which 
is  to-day  annually  visited  by  fifty  thousand  tour- 
ists? The  subtle  moonlight,  the  perfect  glory  of 
the  dying  sun  as  he  sinks  below  a  horizon  fringed 
with  fantastic  trees,  the  perfume  faintly  borne 
from  the  orange  grove,  the  murmuring  music  of 
the  waves  along  the  inlets,  and  the  mangrove-cov- 
ered banks  are  beyond  words. 

This  American  Italy  lies  in  the  latitude  of  north- 
ern Mexico,  the  desert  of  Sahara,  Central  Arabia, 
Southern  China,  and  northern  Hindostan;  but  its 
heats  are  tempered  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  one  side, 
and  the  Gulf  Stream,  which  fiows  along  the  eastern 
coast  for  three  hundred  miles,  on  the  other.  Over 
the  level  breadth  of  ninet}'  miles  between  these  two 
waters,  constantly  blow  odorous  and  health-giving 
ocean  winds,  and  under  their  influence,  aided  by  the 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH.  33 

genial  sun,  springs  up  an  almost  miraculous  sub- 
tropical vegetation.  It  is  the  home  of  the  pal- 
metto, and  the  cabbage  palm,  the  live-oak  and  the 
cypress,  the  mistletoe,  with  its  bright  green  leaves 
and  red  berries,  the  Spanish  moss,  the  ambitious 
mangrove,  the  stately  magnolia,  the  smilax  china, 
the  orange,  the  myrtle,  the  water-lily,  the  jasmine, 
the  cork  tree,  the  sisal-hemp,  the  grape,  and  the 
cocoanut.  There  the  northerner,  wont  to  boast 
of  the  brilliant  sunsets  of  his  own  clime,  finds  all 
his  past  experiences  outdone.  In  the  winter 
months,  soft  breezes  come  caressingly;  the  whole 
peninsula  is  carpeted  with  blossoms,  and  the  birds 
sing  sweetly  in  the  untrodden  thickets.  It  has 
the  charm  of  wildness,  of  mystery ;  it  is  untamed ; 
civilization  has  not  stained  it.  No  wonder  the 
Seminoles  fought  ferociously  ere  they  suffered 
themselves  to  be  banished  from  this  charming 
land. 

The  vessel  landed,  and  Mark  was  conducted  to 
one  of  those  old-fashioned  southern  taverns  by  a 
negro  slave,  while  two  or  three  more  carried  his 
luggage.  The  sea  air  and  frosty  morning  had 
quite  chilled  his  frame,  and  he  asked  to  be  taken 
to  a  room  at  once  where  there  was  a  fire.  There 
were  fire-places  in  nearly  all  the  rooms,  but  no  fire. 
Two  negro  boys  brought  pine  sticks  to  his  apart- 
ment, and  a  fire  was  soon  kindled.  His  room  was 
3 


34  UNION. 

carpetless.  There  was  a  bed,  two  or  three  large 
arm-chairs,  an  old-fashioned  mantel  on  which  were 
a  pair  of  old-fashioned  candlesticks,  a  pair  of  fire 
tongs,  a  centre  table,  and  a  quaint  old  bookcase,  in 
which  were  four  or  five  odd -looking  volumes. 

"Won't  you  have  breakfast?"  the  landlord 
asked,  entering  the  room. 

"  Can  you  serve  it  here?" 

"Yes." 

"I  am  so  infernally  chilled,  I  don't  want  to 
leave  the  fire. " 

"  I  guess  it's  a  leetle  airish  on  the  river  this 
mornin'. " 

"  I  thought  you  never  had  wnnter  here?"  growled 
Mark. 

"  Wall,  we  do  sometimes  have  a  cold  snap ;  but 
this'll  be  gone  afore  mo'nin'.  Ye'll  see  it  warm 
enough  in  a  few  hours." 

"  I  hope  so. " 

Breakfast  was  served  as  Mark  requested  in  the 
room.  His  host  came  and  sat  at  his  side,  and 
talked  with  him  in  the  interval  about  the  north 
and  the  ever-interesting  question  of  slavery  and 
thje  "doings  in  congress."  The  landlord  was  a 
typical  southerner,  who  declared  if  the  "  Aboli- 
tionists succeed,  we'll  secede."  Mark  was  tired, 
and  the  landlord,  who  was  a  kind-hearted  man, 
saw  his  condition,  so  he  left  him,  advising  him  to 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH.  35 

lie  down  and  take  a  nap.  He  took  the  advice  and 
extended  his  nap  late  into  the  day.  He  had  sup- 
per and  dinner  together,  and  again  went  to  bed  to 
sleep  until  sunrise. 

The  Jacksonville  landlord  proved  to  be  a 
weather  prophet.  There  was  a  wonderful  change 
in  a  few  hours.  To  Mark  it  was  remarkable. 
Transferred  from  the  trying  climate  of  the  North 
into  the  gentle  atmosphere  of  the  Florida  penin- 
sula, seemed  like  being  transported  to  fairy  land. 
The  sun  was  shining  brightly  and  the  balmy  breeze 
of  summer  was  wafted  in  at  the  open  casement. 
After  breakfast  he  went  out  on  the  veranda  and, 
seating  himself  in  an  arm-chair,  gazed  over  the 
pretty  square  in  Jacksonville.  His  face  was 
fanned  by  the  warm  January  breeze,  and  the  chip- 
pering  of  the  birds  mingled  with  the  music  of  a 
negro's  banjo  over  in  a  shanty.  The  lazy,  ne'er- 
do-well  black  boys,  sporting  in  the  sand,  so  abun- 
dant in  all  the  roads,  had  the  unconscious  pose 
and  careless  grace  of  Neapolitan  beggars.  Occa- 
sionally a  dusky  Indian  maiden,  with  her  almost 
Grecian  features,  and  long,  straight  hair,  was  seen 
crossing  the  road,  with  a  face  beautiful  in  its 
duskiness,  as  was  ever  the  face  of  olive-brown 
maid  in  Messina.  This  is  the  South,  slumbrous, 
voluptuous,  round  and  graceful.  Here  beauty 
peeps  from  every  door  yard.      Mere  existence  is  a 


36  UNION. 

pleasure,  exertion  a  bore.  Througli  orange-trees 
and  grand  oaks,  thickly  bordering  the  broad 
avenues  of  the  village,  gleamed  the  wide  current 
of  the  St.  John's  river. 

Mark  sat  gazing  listlessly,  dreamily  upon  the 
enchanting  vision  before  him,  when  he  was  sud- 
denly startled  from  a  revery,  painful,  but  sweet, 
by  a  merry  peal  of  rippling  laughter,  and,  turning 
his  eyes  in  another  direction,  he  saw  two  lovely 
girls,  shy,  blushing  and  mischievous,  coming 
slowly  along  the  street.  They  could  not  have 
been  over  eighteen  years  of  age,  perhaps  not  so 
old.  Mark  saw  that  the  one  nearest  him  had 
golden  hair  flowing  in  sunny  waves  about  a  pair 
of  beautiful  shoulders.  Her  face  was  slightly 
averted  at  first;  but  anon  she  turned  the  gaze  of  a 
pair  of  large  blue  eyes  full  upon  him.  If  the 
peal  of  merry  laughter  was  like  rippling  music  to 
his  sad  soul,  the  face  was  like  a  burst  of  sunshine 
at  midnight.  The  face  was  wondrous  fair,  every 
feature  was  exquisite  in  its  perfection,  regularity 
and  the  beauty  of  its  curves.  The  form  was 
symmetrica],  and  as  she  walked  by,  it  was  with  the 
grace  of  a  queen  whose  every  motion  might  be  set 
to  music. 

Mark  stared  at  her  longer  than  good  manners 
would  have  warranted.  She  blushed  slightly,  her 
head   drooped,   and   she  passed  on,  like  a  bright 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH.  37 

dream  which,  once  gone,  "is  forever  beyond  recall. 
He  thought  of  her,  he  dreamed  of  her,  and  in  his 
imagination  wove  bright  castles  for  his  nameless 
love.  How  foolish  he  was — he  knew  her  not — 
and  perhaps  would  never  see  her  again.  He  spent 
a  whole  week  in  Jacksonville  before  Alec  arrived 
to  take  him  a  twenty -five-mile  ride  to  the  plantation 
of  his  father,  and  did  not  see  the  bright  being 
again.  Had  he  known  her  name,  he  might  have 
inquired  for  her. 

One  bright  day.  Alec  arrived  in  a  two-wheeled 
gig,  quite  suitable  to  Florida  roads.  He  was  the 
same  harum-scarum  care-for-naught,  but  good- 
hearted  fellow ,  Mark  had  known  three  years  before 
at  college.  Leaping  from  his  vehicle,  he  came 
bounding  up  to  the  veranda  where  Mark  sat, 
crying : 

"  Hello,  Mark !  Mark,  old  boy,  what  are  you 
doing  here?  Why  didn't  yo\x  hire  a  nigger  to 
bring  you  out?" 

"  I  was  taking  a  rest.  Alec. " 

"A  rest!  by  Jove,  I  believe  you.  Say,  old 
boy,  how  long  have  you  been  here?" 

"  A  little  over  a  week. " 

"  A  week — great  guns — over  a  week !  Why 
didn't  you  send  me  word  sooner,  and  I'd  a  been 
after  you  in  no  time?" 

"  As  I  said.  Alec,  I  was  a  little  tired,  and  I 


38  UNION. 

wanted  to  rest;  besides  I  found  this  country  an 
excellent  study — - — " 

"Study! — by  thunder,  you've  been  studying 
too  much;  that's  what  ails  you.  Why,  you  are 
as  pale  as  a  ghost.  Did  you  break  down  before 
you  got  through?" 

"  No,  I  graduated  with  honors, "  Mark  answered 
proudly;  "  but  I  was  sick  a  long  time  afterward," 
he  added  sadly. 

"  And  you  came  here  to  recruit " 

"Yes." 

"By  George,  you  couldn't  a  come  to  a  better 
place,  my  boy.  Well,  it's  too  much  of  a  trip  to 
start  back  to-day.  I'll  stay  over  until  to-morrow, 
and  then  we  will  start  early. " 

This  arrangement  made,  the  mules  were  removed 
from  the  vehicle  to  the  stable  by  a  pair  of  lazy 
negroes,  and  Alec  and  Mark  took  a  walk  about 
the  village,  talking  over  their  old  college  days, 
and  laughing  at  some  of  their  merry  frolics  more 
easily  remembered  than  Greek  lessons. 

"  I  am  glad  you  came,  Mark.  It's  just  the 
thing  to  do.  We'll  bring  the  color  back  to  your 
cheeks.  Such  hunting  and  fishing  as  we  will 
have,  you  never  dreamed  of  in  your  philosophy. " 

They  sat  up  until  late  that  night,  and,  like 
school  boys,  both  slept  in  the  same  bed  and  talked 
each  other  to  sleep.     They  got  an  early  start  next 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH.  39 

morning  and,  with  Mark's  lightest  trunk  strapped 
on  behind  the  vehicle,  rolled  away  along  the  sandy 
road,  which  was  a  constantly  shifting  panorama  of 
scenery. 

Eounding  a  bend  in  the  road,  they  came  npon  a 
scene  which  might  have  made  a  fortune  for  an 
artist.  Before  them  could  be  seen  the  deep,  glossy 
green  of  a  thrifty  orange  grove,  where  nestled 
enough  well-set  young  oranges  and  white  blossoms 
to  make  glad  the  heart  of  the  owner.  In  the  fore- 
ground was  a  mule,  whose  characteristics  were  a 
meek  and  lowly  carriage  of-  the  head,  a  general 
lack  of  adipose  tissue  and  a  gait  that  would  have 
made  Jehu  weep.  Adorning  her  lank  person  was 
a  harness,  mostly  collar,  by  which  she  was  attached 
to  an  ancient  buckboard.  On  the  seat  were  two 
persons,  whom  they  failed  to  recognize  because  of 
the  broad  rims  of  their  sun-hats.  Each  held  a 
child,  and  the  gentleman  was  supplied  with  a 
small  tree  with  which  he  evidently  entertained 
some  hopes  of  animating  the  statue-like  mule.  A 
lunch  basket,  wraps  and  fishing-rods  were  strongly 
suggestive  of  a  picnic  excursion.  The  Ijttle  group 
of  persons  gathered  near  consisted  of  a  white-haired 
man  who  looked  on  the  turnout  with  the  proud 
gaze  of  ownership,  a  lady  in  a  sun-bonnet,  who 
took  equal  satisfaction  in  a  brood  of  nine  chickens 
she  was  feeding,  and    a  man    with  a  hoe  resting 


40  UNION. 

on  his  shoulder,  who  resembled  an  exaggerated 
exclamation  point.  About  three-fourths  of  his 
height  was  given  up  to  a  pair  of  spider-like  legs, 
and  the  other  fourth  to  a  set  of  ribs  and  a  pair 
of  drooping  shoulders  from  which  dangled  arms 
reaching  well  down  to  the  knees.  An  elbow  in 
his  neck  thrust  his  head  far  in  advance  of  his  body. 
He  had  a  weazened  face,  pinched  features,  and  a 
shaggy  brown  beard.  This  man  is  known  to  fame 
all  the  world  over  by  two  euphonious  titles — 
"  Before  taking, "  and  "  Florida  Cracker. " 

Passing  over  a  slight  eminence,  this  interesting 
group  was  lost  to  their  view,  and  they  toiled  on 
through  the  deep  sand.  A  landscape  indescribably 
beautiful  lay  about  them.  On  every  side  was  a 
picture.  On  one  side  woods,  thickly  pillared  with 
tall  pines  and  richly  carpeted  with  their  long 
brown  needles.  Yellow,  white  and  purple  wild 
flowers  lifted  their  bright  faces  to  be  kissed  by  the 
slanting  sunbeams  that  fell  through  the  scanty 
foliage  overhead.  It  seemed  as  if  summer  had 
come  in  a  day.  Not  two  weeks  before  Mark  had 
seen  thin  flakes  of  ice  near  the  coast,  and  not  lift}' 
miles  away,  he  was  in  the  midst  of  perpetual 
blooming  Spring.  Mocking-birds,  blue-birds, 
butcher-birds  and  song  sparrows  vied  with  each 
other  in  entertaining  their  feathered  friends  of  less 
vocal  talent.      Robins  ran  on  the  ground  silent,  big 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH. 


41 


and  brilliant  butterflies  flitted  to  and  fro,  and  the 
wind  soughing  through  the  pines,  breathed  a  tran- 
quillizing lullaby  over  all.  In  other  directions, 
through  clearings,  lakes  of  various  sizes  and  shapes, 
having  neither  inlet  nor  outlet,  yet  clear  as  crystal, 
gleamed  in  the  morning  sun.  The  graceful  slopes 
reaching  to  their  banks  were 
covered  with  mingled  forests 
of  pine  and  groves  of  ora-nge- 
trees.  Orchards  of  peach, 
plum,  persimmon  and  other 
fruit  trees,  with  large  vegeta- 
ble gardens  in  which  negro 
slaves  were  at  work,  told  why 
this  country  was  called  the 
"  winter  garden"  of  the  fro- 
zen North. 

They  arrived  at  Alec's 
home  before  nightfall.  It  was 
one  of  those  palatial  houses  of 
the  ante-bellum  days.  Before 
the  war,  the  wealth  of  the 
South  was  in  the  country,  where  the  rich  planta- 
tions were  supported  by  slave  labor,  where  each 
planter  was  a  petty  feudal  lord  with  his  dusky 
subjects.  Mr.  Reuben  Stevens  was  a  typical  south- 
erner. He  had  only  emigrated  from  the  cotton 
districts  of  Georgia  because  he  believed  the  devel- 


Florida  Cracker 


42  UNION. 

opment  of  orange  groves  in  Florida  would  pay 
better.  He  was  a  cavalier  of  the  old  type;  one 
who  believed  that  slavery  was  a  divine  institution, 
and  yet  he  was  one  of  the  kindest  men  in  the 
world.  He  would  protect  one  of  his  dusky  sub- 
jects with  his  life,  and  when  they  were  sick,  he 
and  his  amiable  wife  nursed  them.  Those  who 
have  travelled  in  the  South  will  bear  me  out  in  the 
statement  that  there  does  not  exist  more  hospitable 
people  than  the  people  of  the  South,  They  are 
easily  touched  by  a  story  of  wrong  or  oppres- 
sion; they  are  patriotic  as  they  understand  patri- 
otism ;  they  were,  as  a  rule,  kind  and  indulgent 
masters  with  their  slaves.  Only  the  worst  side  of 
the  picture  of  slavery  was  presented  by  the  Aboli- 
tionists. Some  masters  assigned  their  slaves 
tasks,  and  all  over  the  task  was  their  own,  and 
many  of  the  thriftier  darkies  accumulated  consid- 
erable money  in  this  way.  The  author  knew 
many  masters,  who,  after  President  Lincoln's 
proclamation,  freed  their  slaves,  gave  them  nice 
little  homes  of  thirty  or  forty  acres  of  land, 
mules  and  wagons,  and  set  them  up  in  their  new 
life. 

Uncle  Eeuben  Stevens,  as  he  was  known,  was  a 
kind  master  and  loved  by  all  his  slaves,  save  one 
or  two  vicious  fellows  incapable  of  gratitude. 

The   old   planter,  with  his   Panama  hat  on   his 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH.  43 

head,  stood  in  sliirt  sleeves  on  the  broad  piazza, 
when  the  young  men  drove  up. 

"  Well,  this  is  Mark  Stevens,  is  it?"  said  Uncle 
Reuben,  grasping  Mark's  hand  with  an  assuring 
welcome. 

'*  Yes,  sir,  and  I  suppose  we  are  distantly  re- 
lated. " 

"  Oh,  yes,  all  o'  the  same  branch.  My  folks 
came  from  Virginia.  Sit  down  ;  Alec,  send  Cater 
to  put  up  the  mules. " 

Alec  called  a  negro  who  was  playing  with  a 
hound  on  the  grass,  and  sent  him  to  unharness  the 
mules. 

"Sit  down,  Mark;  let  me  see; — is  3'our  father 
livin'?" 

"Yes,  sir;  he  still  lives  in  Boone  County, 
Kentucky. " 

"  What's  his  name?" 

"  Fernando. " 

"  Yes,  warn't  he  in  the  war  of  'twelve?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  he  was  a  major  and  fought  at  New 
Orleans. " 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  remember  now.  I  was  thar  my- 
self. I  tell  you,  boy,  we  did  some  good  shootin' 
that  day.  I  was  with  the  Tennessee  troops  and  he 
with  Kentucky ;  but  we  were  stationed  close 
enough  together  to  swap  jokes." 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  did?" 


44  UNION. 

"  Some  of  the  boys  said  some  jiretty  sassy  tilings. 
I  tell  you  the  Americans  showed  spunk  there. 
What  was  your  grandfather's  name?" 

"Albert^' 

"  That's  it.  He  and  my  father  were  brothers, 
I  reckon,  well  w^e  are  all  of  one  branch,  why  I 
trace  my  family  back  to  Captain  John  Smith." 

"  Farther  than  that,  father, "  interposed  Alec. 
"  It  goes  clear  back  to  Columbus. " 

"  Oh,  Alec,  you  always  want  to  overdo  the 
thing.  But,  Mark,  was  your  father  in  the  war 
with  Mexico?" 

"  No ;  my  brother  Arthur  was. " 

"Where  is  he?" 

"  Living  in  Boone  County;  married  a  Mexican 
wife,  and  is  now  one  of  the  richest  planters  in  the 
county ;  but  I  believe  he  is  going  to  Mexico  to 
live. " 

"  Foolish  to  do  it.  Well  I  warn't  in  the  Mexican 
w^ar.  Didn't  take  much  stock  in  it.  Shouldn't 
wonder  we  have  to  whip  the  Abolitionists  yet. 
Hope  you  and  Alec  didn't  imbibe  any  o'  the  doc- 
trine o'  the  North  while  at  college." 

Mark  hoped  there  would  be  no  war  between  the 
North  and  South.  At  this  moment  Mrs.  Betty 
Stevens  came  out  to  form  the  acquaintance  of  Mark 
and  scold  Uncle  Keuben  for  talking  politics  while 
the  young  man  was  tired.      The  colored  cook  soon 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH.  45 

had  supper  ready,  and  the  journey  had  given  Mark  a 
splendid  appetite.  Alec,  with  a  glow  of  satisfac- 
tion, noted  Mark's  increased  appetite,  and  said: 

"I  told  you  we'd  bring  the  color  back  to  your 
cheeks,  ray  cousin." 

Next  day  Alec  planned  a  fishing  excursion. 

"  You  must  come  back  to-night,  Alec, "  said  his 
mother.  "  Clara  and  Richard  will  be  here  to- 
night, with  Miss  Elsie  Cole  from  Charleston." 

"  I  wish  Dick  had  come  this  morning  to  go  with 
us.  I  tell  you,  Dick  is  a  jolly  good  fellow;  but 
if  Elsie  is  coming,  I'll  be  back." 

The  young  men  set  out  on  a  buckboard  on  their 
fishing  expedition.  The  scenery  was  somewhat 
similar  to  the  day  before.  A  thick  jungle  of  semi- 
tropical  trees  and  plants  was  penetrated,  and  they 
came  to  a  huge  spring,  boiling  from  the  earth  in  a 
volume  sufficient  to  form  a  stream  twenty  feet 
wide  and  deep  enough  to  row  a  boat  upon.  On 
all  sides  was  a  great  "  bay  head,"  with  its  wealth 
of  palmettoes,  cactuses,  live-oaks,  ferns  and  flowers 
like  an  immense  conservatory.  The  trees  were 
festooned  from  their  highest  branches  to  the  ground 
with  the  graceful  gray  Florida  moss  and  a  tangled 
network  of  vines.  Here  and  there  a  great  monarch 
had  fallen  and,  unable  to  reach  the  earth,  rested 
in  the  outstretched  arms  of  his  comrades,  who 
pityingly  wove  a  shroud  of   trailing  plants  about 


46  UNION. 

him.  The  boys,  leaving  mule  and  buckboard 
among  the  trees,  launched  a  skiff  and,  climbing 
into  it,  glided  noiselessly  down  the  stream,  until 
they  suddenly  came  into  a  lake,  several  miles  wide, 
fringed  for  many  rods  with  lily-pods,  reeds  and  the 
wonderful  "  Cypress  Knees, "  looking  wonderfully 
like  so  many  champagne  bottles  set  in  the  water  to 
cool.  White  herons  and  other  water  fowls  glided 
along  the  margin,  or  floated  gracefully  overhead. 

The  boat  had  come  to  a  stop,  and  while  Mark 
was  contemplating  the  scene,  Alec  with  all  the 
keen  instincts  of  a  sportsman  was  busy  preparing 
his  rod,  line  and  bait.  A  swish,  a  swirl  in  the 
water,  a  rush,  a  clicking  reel,  the  slender  rod  bent 
almost  double, — and  a  big  black  bass  lay  flopping 
in  the  boat  at  Mark's  feet.  He  awoke  to  the 
realities  of  sport.  In  a  short  time  they  had  an 
abundant  supply,  and  started  homeward. 

The  sun  had  set,  and  the  new  moon  was  looking 
down  upon  them  out  of  the  liquid  blue  of  a  cloud- 
less sky  that  Ital}^  herself  might  claim.  The 
crescent  moon  and  her  infinite  number  of  starry 
companions  shone  witli  that  softened  splendor  only 
seen  in  southern  lands.  The  air  was  heavy  with 
dew-kissed  orange  buds.  Night  birds  were  flitting 
by;  katydids  gossiped  merrily,  and  from  the  lake 
came  the  deep  tones  of  an  alligator,  very  much  like 
the  hoarse  croaking  of  a  bull -frog.      As  they  jour- 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH. 


47 


neyed  on,  a  weird  and  novel  sight  came  in  view — 
a  large  pine  forest  on  fire.  The  trees  were  ablaze 
from  the  ground  to  the  top  branches,  and  great  red 
tongues  leaped  and  danced  fantastically  in  the 
air.     Leaving  the  blazing  forest,  they  came  to  a 


A  «WISH,  A  SWIRL  IN  THE  WATER,  A  RUSH,  A  CLICKING  REEL, 
THE  SLENDER  ROD  BENT  ALMOST  DOUBLE. 

quaint  nook  in  which  stood  a  negro's  cabin. 
There  were  no  windows,  but  the  door  stood  wide 
open,  showing  an  immense  log  fire  over  which  the 
"old  mammy"  bent,  preparing  the  evening  meal. 
There  was  only  one  room  in  the  house,  scantily 


48  UNION. 

fiirnisLed,  with  "  yarbs"  in  abundance  hanging 
from  the  rafter  overhead.  There  were  big  darkies, 
little  darkies  and  middle-aged  darkies.  A  young 
negro  man  was  picking  an  old  banjo  and  singing 
"Nelly  Grey."  They  still  heard  his  not  un- 
musical voice  when  the  lights  of  the  old  mansion 
house  came  in  sight,  and  they  drove  hastily  for- 
ward. 

"Here  we  are!"  cried  Alec  leaping  out  at  the 
great  front  gate.      "  Cater,  Cater  come  here.  " 

"  Yes,  raassa." 

"  Take  this  mule  out  and  put  him  in  the  barn." 

"Git  many,  massa?"  asked  Cater  straining  his 
eyes  to  look  into  the  basket. 

"  Yes,  more  than  you  would  catch  in  a  week, 
you  can't  fish. " 

"  Bet  I  kin,  massa,  Cater'll  show  ye  some 
time, — golly,  ain't  dis  a  whopper!" 

"  Carry  them  in  to  Liza,  Cater,  and  then  come 
and  get  the  mule. " 

"Golly,  ain't  dey  heaby,  massa?  Dem's  all 
whoppers. " 

"Hurry  up,  Cater;  the  mule  is  hungry  and  so 
are  we." 

"  Is  that  Alec?"  asked  a  voice  which  the  young 
men  recognized  as  Uncle  Eeuben. 

"  Yes,  father. " 

"  Come  right  in.     Dick's  come  with  the  gals. 


THE  SUNNY  SOUTH.  49 

Go  in  the  back  way  and  slick  np  a  bit,  for  them 
Charleston  gals  are  monstrous  fine. " 

The  young  men  soon  arranged  their  toilet. 
Mark  seemed  to  evince  eagerness. 

"  You  never  saw  my  cousin  Clara,  did  you 
Mark?"  asked  Alec. 

"  No. " 

"  She's  a  beauty;  you  can  fall  in  love  with  her; 
but  you  must  let  Elsie  Cole  alone.  I'll  get  jealous 
there  in  a  minute.  " 

"  Never  fear,  Alec,  I'll  not  rob  you  of  your 
sweetheart,"  said  Mark  with  a  sigh  which  might 
have  been  interpreted  as  meaning  that  he  had  liad 
his  love's  romance. 

They  met  the  young  folks  in  the  large  parlor, 
where  Dick,  a  tall,  handsome  young  fellow,  and 
two  young  ladies  were  awaiting  them.  Alec  did 
the  presenting  and  right  gracefully  too. 

Mark  glanced  at  Elsie  Cole,  then  started  back 
covered  with  confusion.      She  was  the  vision  of 
his  last  week's  dreams,  seen  but  a  moment  from 
the  veranda  of  the  Jacksonville  hotel. 
4 


CHAPTER   III. 

SAINT     OR     DEVIL. 

The  confusion  of  Mark  Stevens  was  so  great 
that  all  present  observed  it.  The  effect  on  Elsie 
was  strange.  She  recognized  the  young  man  as 
the  person  who  had  given  her  an  impudent  stare 
at  Jacksonville,  and  for  whom  she  had  entertained 
no  other  thought  than  that  he  was  some  impudent 
fellow  from  the  North.  Alec  noticed  Mark's  em- 
barrassment and  said: 

"  By  Jove!  have  you  folks  met  before?" 

"  If  I  mistake  not  I  saw  these  young  ladies  in 
Jacksonville  about  two  weeks  ago, "  said  Mark. 

"  We  were  there,"  said  Elsie,  "  and  if  I  mistake 
not  you  sat  on  the  hotel  veranda  and  stared  at  us, " 

"  Don't  talk  that  way,  Elsie,"  put  in  Clara. 

"Well,  Clara,  you  said  lie  stared  at  one  just 
like  an  impudent  northerner. " 

"  But  I  did  not  know  he  was  a  Stevens  then." 

"  Oh  !"  said  Elsie  with  a  curve  of  her  pretty  lip. 
"  I  suppose  his  being  a  Stevens  makes  a  difference. 
Are  the  Stevens  family  infallible?" 

50 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  51 

"  Yes. " 

"Thank  you,  cousin  Clara,"  put  in  Mark, 
whose  face  was  flaming  crimson.  "  One  ma}^  well 
be  proud  of  a  relative  that  always  comes  to  help  a 
fellow  out  of  a  bad  scrape." 

"  Come,  come,  you  folks  get  out  to  supper,"  in- 
terrupted Uncle  Reuben.  "  Let  us  not  have  a 
quarrel  the  first  meeting." 

"  We  are  not  quarrelling  Mr.  Stevens,  I  was 
Just  rebuking  your  kinsman  for  staring  at  us," 
said  Elsie. 

"  I  appeal  to  Uncle  Reuben,  who  has  not  lost 
his  gallantry,  if  I  was  not  justified." 

It  was  Elsie's  turn  to  blush,  and  look  confused, 
and  Uncle  Reuben  answered: 

"  He's  got  ye,  Elsie.  By  Gineral  Jackson,  I'd 
not  think  much  of  a  young  man's  taste  who 
wouldn't  stop  and  stare  a  second  on  such  faces  as 
yours. " 

Aunt  Betty  came  to  the  rescue  by  declaring 
that  Uncle  Reuben  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  him- 
self, and  the  party  were  soon  in  the  ample  dining 
room  seated  at  the  table.  The  young  people  from 
Charleston  were  vivacious;  conversation  never 
flagged,  and  Mark  soon  overcame  his  temporary 
embarrassment,  and  before  the  evening  was  over 
was  one  of  the  merriest  of  the  happy  group. 

Alec  noticed  with   some  degree  of    uneasiness 


53  UNION. 

the  interest  which  Mark  seemed  to  take  in  Elsie. 
He  gave  his  attention  to  both  young  ladies,  but 
Alec  thought  he  devoted  most  of  his  time  to  Elsie. 
That  evening  Alec  said: 

"  Well,  Mark,  what  do  you  think  of  her?" 

"Who,  Alec?" 

"  Elsie. " 

"  She  is  a  very  pretty  girl." 

"  Yes  and  as  good  as  she  is  beautiful.  I'll  tell 
you  a  secret,  Mark;  now  don't  tell  anybody  for  the 
people  might  laugh  at  me; — I  like  that  girl.  I  just 
want  to  put  you  on  your  guard,  Mark ;  I  love  her. " 

"  Are  you  betrothed?" 

"  No——" 

"  Well ,  have  you  ever  proposed  ?  " 

"  No,  I  never  had  a  chance.  That  is,  I  mean  I 
never  could  pluck  up  courage  when  I  had  a 
chance.  I've  tried  to,  but  when  I  get  at  it  I 
always  feel  just  like  a  fool,  and  quit." 

"Is  Dick  a  rival?" 

"  Oh,  no,  she's  Dick's  own  cousin, — his 
mother's  niece,  you  see,  but  that  makes  her  no 
relative  of  mine. " 

Mark  felt  little  interest  in  Alec's  love  affair; 
but  his  friend  went  on  telling  him  that  Dick  had 
said  he  didn't  believe  she  cared  a  fig  for  him,  but 
he  knew  better.  Dick  was  not  in  the  way;  but 
be  feared  Mark  might  be, 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  53 

"  Fact  is,  Mark,  you  are  a  plaguy  fine-looking 
fellow,  and  it  would  just  be  my  luck  for  Elsie  to 
take  a  fancy  to  you,  and  it  might  cause  me  a 
thundering  lot  of  trouble.'' 

Mark  Stevens  could  not  refrain  from  smiling; 
but  his  answer  did  not  alleviate  the  anxiety  of 
Alec.  Long  after  the  other  members  of  the  house- 
hold had  sunk  into  slumber  Alec  tossed  restlessly 
on  his  bed  unable  to  sleep.  After  heaving  sighs 
which  would  run  up  into  the  third  notation  he 
muttered : 

"  I  do  wonder,  now,  if  I  have  played  the  very 
devil  with  my  chances  by  bringing  Mark  here. 
Well,  I  don't  care;  Mark's  a  good  fellow;  I  like 
him,  and  if  Elsie  prefers  him  to  me,  let  her  have 
him. " 

With  this  sensible  conclusion  he  fell  asleep. 

Weeks  rolled  on.  Mark  Stevens  evinced  more 
pleasure  in  the  society  of  the  young  ladies  than 
with  the  gentlemen.  He  went  on  picnic  excur- 
sions with  them,  while  Dick  and  Alec  were  hunt- 
ing and  fishing.  There  could  be  no  question  that 
Mark  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  girls.  Josie 
Stevens,  Alec's  sister  w^as  about  the  same  age  as 
the  visiting  ladies,  none  of  whom  exceeded  seven- 
teen or  eighteen.  For  awhile,  Mark  seemed  an 
equal  favorite  of  all,  but  at  last,  by  law  of  instinct 
or  mutual  attraction,  it  became  evident  that  Elsie 


54  UNION. 

and  Mark  were  partial  to  each  other.  They  were 
seen  walking  and  talking  together  often,  her  blue 
eyes  seemed  brighter  when  with  him,  and  her  cheek 
glowed  with  a  warmer  tint  when  at  his  side. 

"  Alec,  if  you  don't  watch,  you  will  be  cut 
out!"  declared  Josie  to  her  brother. 

"Why?" 

"  I  saw  Mark  and  Elsie  talking  very  low  last 
evening,  as  we  came  from  the  lake.  They  were 
walking  behind  us,  some  distance,  and  Clara  says 
that  she  believes  he  squeezed  her  hand. " 

Alec  sighed  and  then,  like  the  generous  fellow 
that  he  was,  said : 

"  I  like  Mark  better  than  a  brother,  and  he's 
worthy  of  her.  If  she  prefers  him  to  me,  I  have 
nothing  to  say,  only  God  bless  them." 

The  winter  passed  and  the  time  came  for  Mark  to 
go  to  Virginia  where  he  had  some  business  to  trans- 
act. On  the  night  before  his  departure  he  and  Elsie 
once  more  walked  alone  in  the  delightful  orange 
grove.  Her  small  hand  rested  gently  on  his  arm, 
her  beautiful  face  was  upturned  to  his,  half  seri- 
ously half  roguishly,  but  ravishingly  beautiful. 
Their  voices  were  low  and  tender.  The  heart  of 
each  was  throbbing  violently,  and  she  finally  said: 

"  You  are  going  away  in  the  morning?" 

"  Yes,  Elsie ;  but  I  hope  to  see  you  again  before 
many  months. " 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  55 

"  Where  are  you  going?" 

"  To  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia." 

"  I  thought  3-our  home  was  in  Kentucky." 

"It  is;  but  I  am  not  going  home:  I  am  going 
to  meet  Mr.  Smith  at  Harper's  Ferry.  I  Jon't 
know  the  nature  of  the  business.  A  friend  has 
written  me  to  meet  Mr.  Smith.  That  friend  is  an 
old  college  classmate,  and  I  am  going  on  his  honor 
and  judgment.      But  I  shall  see  you  again,  Elsie." 

"Why?"   she  asked,  sighing. 

"  I  must.  Please  say  I  ma}^  come  to  visit  you 
at  Charleston.  I  can  say  something  to  you  there, 
which  I  cannot  say  here. " 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  not  say  it  at  all,"  and 
she  glanced  archly  at  him  from  the  corners  of  her 
eyes. 

"  We  have  passed  many  pleasant  hours  in  each 
other's  society,  Elsie.  Let  us  hope  they  will  not 
be  the  last. " 

She  hoped  they  might  not,  and  then  began  prais- 
ing the  beauty  of  Florida  and  talking  of  Ponce  de 
Leon  and  his  fountain  of  youth.  He  thought 
there  was  but  one  fountain  of  youth  and  that  was 
in  the  honest  love  of  a  fond  heart,  which  never 
grew  old.  She  again  warded  off  the  subject  by 
saying  the  gray  hairs  of  a  father  or  mother  en- 
hanced their  beauty,  in  the  eyes  of  a  loving  child. 
Mark,  all  the  while  he  was  making  or  trying  to 


56  UNION. 

make  love  to  Elsie,  felt  that  he  was  serving  his 
cousin  Alec  a  mean  trick.  His  conscience  smote 
him  in  more  wa_ys  than  one.  He  wanted  Elsie  to 
know  he  loved  her;  he  wanted  to  know  whether 
he  was  loved  in  return ;  yet  he  would  have  been 
horrified  at  the  thought  of  a  betrothal. 

Their  interview  that  evening  was  unsatisfactory 
to  either  party.  Alec  took  Mark  to  Jacksonville 
next  day.  The  old  college  friends  had  for  several 
days  been  a  little  cool  toward  each  other;  for  Alec 
thought  Mark  had  treated  him  badly.  As  they 
rode  along  the  sandy  thoroughfare,  Alec  said : 

"  It  was  all  right,  Mark.  I  hoped  you  wouldn't 
take  Elsie  away  from  me;  but  you  have;  yet  it  is 
all  right.  She  is  a  lovely  girl.  Southern,  too.  You 
are  a  handsome  fellow,  and  I  can't  blame  you  for 
loving  her.     When  is  it  to  be,  Mark?" 

Mark  started,  and  answered: 

"  Alec,  we  are  not  betrothed." 

"  Not  betrothed !  then  what  in  the  name  of 
General  Jackson  were  you  doing  so  much  courting 
for?" 

"  I  don't  know, "  he  sighed,  looking  guilty.  "  I 
like  Elsie, — I  believe  I  do — but" — he  hesitated. 
"  Alec,  I  am  miserable — if  you  knew  my  heart,  you 
would  pity  me.  I  don't  intend  to  be  a  villain — I 
don't  want  to;  but  circumstances  seem  driving  me 
to  crime,  ruin  and  wretchedness.  " 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  57 

Alec's  eyes  opened  wide  in  wonder,  and  he  gave 
his  unfortunate  relative  a  fixed  stare,  as  if  he 
feared  he  was  losing  his  mind.  He  had  never 
seen  him  until  they  met  at  Harvard,  and  after  he 
left  the  college,  almost  three  years  before  Mark's 
visit,  he  had  not  heard  from  him,  until  he  received 
the  letter  in  which  he  stated  that  his  health  was 
shattered  and  he  was  coming  South  to  rest  and 
recruit.  Mark  had  always  seemed  to  live  in  an 
atmosphere  of  mystery,  that  was  sometimes  puz- 
zling and  aggravating  to  Alec,  who  was  like  an 
open  page  to  be  read  by  ever3"body. 

"Well,  Mark,  if  she  likes  you  I— I  shan't 
blame  you.  We've  been  good  friends,  and  I'd 
do  anything  for  a  friend, "  said  the  noble  Alec. 

"  Thank  you.  Alec ;  you  are  the  best  friend  I  ever 
had,  and  God  forbid  I  should  ever  wrong  you.  I 
don't  know  that  Miss  Cole  cares  for  me;  but  if 
she  did  not, — if  she  preferred  you  to  me,  I  should 
not  blame  her.      Alec,  you  are  better  than  I." 

"Oh,  nonsense! — a  great  harum-scarum  good- 
for-nothing  fellow  like  me  better  than  you?" 

"  Yes,  you  are. " 

"No;  but  let  us  change  the  subject.  Mark, 
whdt  are  you  going  to  Virginia  for?" 

"  I  don't  know.  Mr.  Sewall  of  Boston  wrote 
me  to  call  on  Mr.  Smith  near  Harper's  Ferry  and 
he  would  explain." 


58  UNION. 

"  Mark,  I'll  bet  it's  an  abolition  scheme." 

Mark  thought  not,  for  the  question  of  slavery 
seemed  about  to  take  a  long  rest. 

"  But  you  used  to  declare  in  our  debates  at  col- 
lege that  slaverj'  was  a  curse  to  our  institutions, 
and  that  you  wished  there  was  not  a  slave  in  the 
United  States. " 

"  I  did ;  yet  the  abolition  of  slavery  cannot  be 
brought  about  suddenly,  without  violence.  I 
would  favor  gradual  emancipation.  The  abolition- 
ists want  to  obtain  by  violence,  what  cannot  be 
obtained  by  law." 

"That's  so,  Mark;  and  I  heard  that  there  was 
a  plot  on  foot  to  set  all  the  niggers  in  the  South 
free.  To  rouse  the  slaves  to  an  insurrection  and 
have  them  murder  their  masters." 

"  Such  a  thing  could  not  be  accomplished.  It 
would  only  result  in  the  suffering  of  the  slaves. 
Masters  now  lenient  would  become  severe  and  dis- 
trustful." 

Jacksonville  was  reached  and  the  cousins  bade 
each  other  adieu,  and  Alec  drove  sadly  away, 
while  Mark  stood  on  the  veranda  of  the  hotel  gaz- 
ing after  him. 

"  Noble  fellow  !"  he  sighed.  "  Would  to  heaven 
I  had  such  a  heart!  but  I  am  either  a  fool  or  a 
knave.  Ah,  fate,  fate,  you  have  played  me  some 
scurvy  tricks. " 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  59 

Mark  retired  early,  for  he  expected  to  start  on 
his  northward  journey  early  in  the  morning.  We 
need  not  give  an  account  of  that  journey,  as  it 
would  prove  uninteresting  to  the  reader.  He 
reached  Harper's  Ferry  in  due  time,  and  at  once 
began  to  inquire  for  Mr.  Smith. 

"Mister  Smith?  dun  know  any  sich  a  man, 
stranger,"  said  an  old  Virginian  in  blue  drillen 
trowsers  and  straw  hat.  "  Maybe  they  kin  tell  ye 
at  the  post-office  or  over  at  Sheppard's  store." 

At  the  former  place,  he  learned  that  a  stranger 
named  Smith  had  just  come  into  the  neighborhood 
and  hired  a  farm  a  few  miles  from  Harper's  Ferr3^ 
He  was  a  queer  old  case  everybody  declared,  and 
always  had  a  suspicious  gang  about  him.  Yet 
they  all  seemed  civil  and  polite.  Mark  resolved 
to  call  upon  the  mysterious  farmer  as  soon  as  he 
could,  and  he  set  out  next  day  for  the  home  of 
Mr.  Smith.  It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  he 
reached  the  house  of  the  pretended  farmer. 

The  cloudless  June  day  was  almost  done,  and 
the  farmer  was  resting  from  his  toil,  if  he  toiled 
at  all.  He  was  sitting  on  the  broad  piazza  of  an 
old-fashioned  Virginia  mansion.  Mark  advanced 
to  the  gate  and  the  man  rose.  He  was  tall  and 
rather  ungainly  looking.  His  beard  was  long 
and  almost  white;  his  eyes  were  restless  and  stern. 

"  Are  you  Captain  Smith?"   Mark  asked. 


60  UNION. 

"Yes,  sir,"  was  the  answer,  after  a  moment's 
hesitation. 

"  I  have  a  letter  here  which  may  explain  itself 
to  you." 

Mark  gave  him  Sewall's  letter,  which  he  read 
carefully  and  then,  glancing  keenly  at  the  young 
man,  seemed  to  size  him  up,  as  a  recruiting  officer 
would  a  candidate  for  enlistment. 

"  You  are  Mr.  Mark  Stevens,  who  graduated  at 
Harvard?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Are  you  willing  to  follow  the  commands  of 
God  Almighty?" 

Mark  gazed  at  him  as  if  he  had  met  a  lunatic. 
He  was  speechless  with  astonishment,  while  the 
old  man  went  on. 

"  Your  fame  has  gone  forth.  We  know  you 
are  on  our  side,  young  man,  and  there  is  a  great 
work  to  do;  let  us  do  it.  Don't  you  believe  that 
one  should  do  his  duty?" 

"  Certainly. " 

"  Are  you  willing  to  die  for  your  country  and 
your  principles?" 

"  Yes. " 

"  Give  me  your  hand.      Come  in.  " 

Mark  was  bewildered  and  mj^stified.  He 
entered  the  old-fashioned  Virginia  house,  where 
he  met  half  a  dozen  white  men  who  seemed  to 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  61 

have  no  particular  business,  and  with  them  fully 
as  many  negroes.  There  existed  among  the  blacks 
and  whites  a  certain  degree  of  social  equality  quite 
disgusting  to  a  man  of  Mark's  taste. 

Captain  Smith  did  not  fully  explain  his  business 
then.  He  was  a  shrewd  man  and  moved  with  the 
utmost  caution.  He  sounded  Mark  carefully  as 
to  his  views  on  the  question  of  slavery  and  found 
him  strongly  opposed  to  it,  but  at  the  same  time 
he  did  not  favor  violation  of  law.  fie  was  op- 
posed to  anarchy  or  insurrection.  If  they  had 
laws,  observe  them. 

"  Well,  you  sav  you  want  to  go  home  to  Ken- 
tucky. Go,  and  return  here  in  the  fall.  I'll  be 
ready  to  tell  you  all  then. " 

"  Mr.  Smith,  I  can  hardly  understand  what  you 
want  with  me,''  said  Mark.  "  This  mystery  is  to 
me  inexplicable.  If  you  require  any  act  of  law- 
lessness from  me,  I  assure  you  I  will  not  take  any 
hand  in  it. " 

Mr.  Smith,  or  Captain  Smith,  as  he  called  him- 
self, ansTi'ered: 

"  I  ask  nothing  of  you  save  what  will  be  ap- 
proved by  God  Almighty." 

"  I  must  be  the  judge  of  what  my  God  deems 
lawful." 

"  Have  you  faith  in  the  author  of  that  letter?" 

"Yes."^ 


63  UNION. 

"  Then  believe  in  me." 

Mark  went  home,  after  having  first  promised 
Mr.  Smith  to  keep  secret  their  interview.  Mark's 
health  and  spirits  were  fully  restored.  He  kept 
up  a  correspondence  with  his  southern  friends 
Elsie,  Clara,  Jack  and  Alec,  and  promised  on  the 
next  winter  to  return. 

In  the  fall  of  1859,  there  was  a  brighter  hope 
of  peace  than  the  country  had  known  for  years. 
The  vehement  discussion  of  the  slavery  question 
had  somewhat  subsided;  there  was  a  lull  in  the 
border  war  in  Kansas;  the  Mormons  were  quiet; 
difficulties  between  the  United  States  and  Paraguay, 
in  South  America,  had  been  settled ;  troubles  with 
Indians  on  the  Pacific  coast  were  drawing  to  a 
close,  and  the  filibustering  operations  of  Walker 
in  Nicaragua  were  losing  much  of  their  interest. 
The  summer  had  passed  away  like  a  peaceful 
dream,  and  such  wholesome  topics  as  the  Pacific 
Railway,  Homestead  and  Soldiers'  pension  bills, 
and  other  measures  for  the  promotion  of  peace  and 
national  prosperity  were  engaging  the  attention  of 
the  people.  The  slavery  agitators  seemed  to  be 
quiet,  and  it  was  hoped  the  question  might  be  at 
rest;  but  all  the  while  ambitious  if  not  unscrupu- 
lous men  were  at  work  fomenting  discontent  and 
using  every  effort  to  kindle  civil  war. 

It  was  late  in  October  when  Mark  returned  to 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  63 

Virginia,  determined  to  have  an  end  of  the  late 
mystery  with  Captain  Smith.  He  found  the  phiin, 
unassuming,  strange  and  incomprehensible  old 
man  at  the  farm  house.  He  was  told  to  wait  until 
the  morrow  and  he  would  outline  his  plans  and 
business  to  him.  On  the  morrow  he  led  Mark  to 
the  forest  above  the  bluff  of  Harper's  Ferry  and 
said : 

"  Here  we  can  talk  alone  and  understand  each 
other.  Sit  down  on  that  stone,  my  friend." 
"When  Mark  was  seated,  he  asked,  "  Do  you  be- 
lieve that  slavery  is  against  the  law  of  God?" 

"I  do." 

"  I  knew  I  was  not  mistaken.  Slavery  curses 
our  land,  and  I  feel  that  I  am  ordained  by  Heaven 
to  free  these  toiling  millions.  First,  I  shall  com- 
*  meuce  here!"  and  the  speaker  swept  his  hand  over 
toward  the  valley  below  him.  "  I  will  liberate 
these  first. " 

"  How,  Mr.  Smith?"  asked  Mark. 

"  Mark  Stevens,  it  is  time  that  we  let  the  mask 
fall.  Let  us  understand  each  other  fully.  You 
are  a  mystery  to  me  and  I  to  you.  Call  me,  when 
alone.  Brown,  not  Smith.  I  am  John  Brown,  the 
hero  of  Ossawattomie,  Kansas,  of  1856.  Have  you 
never  heard  of  that  battle?" 

Of  course  Mark  had,  and  he  gazed  in  amazement 
at  the  man  before  him.     Old  John  Brown  was 


64  UNION. 

thoroughly  hated  or  admired  at  the  time  of  this 
story,  and  friends  and  foes  both  tended  to  give 
him  a  liberal  advertisement.  He  had  participated 
in  the  Kansas  troubles  and  it  is  said  by  his  enemies 
that  he  murdered  and  plundered.  That  he  took 
human  life  cannot  be  denied,  perhaps  not  for  the 
sake  of  plunder,  but  from  the  extreme  fanatical 
bent  of  his  mind.  Brown  was  a  native  of  Connec- 
ticut, and  at  this  time  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his 
age.  He  espoused  the  cause  of  abolition  very 
early  in  life,  and  was  enthusiastic  and  brave.  If 
history  is  to  be  believed,  he  was  unscrupulous  as 
to  the  methods  by  whicli  he  sought  to  gain  his 
ends.  He  had  been  active  in  the  midst  of  the 
troubles  in  Kansas,  and  had  suffered  much;  and 
he  believed  himself  to  be  the  destined  liberator  of 
the  slaves  in  the  American  Eej^ublic. 

"  We  have  established  Freedom  in  Kansas,  and 
we  can  do  it  here, "  he  said, 

"How?"  asked  Mark. 

Then  he  explained  that  with  a  few  white  fol- 
lowers and  twelve  slaves  from  Missouri,  he  had 
gone  into  Canada  West,  and  at  Chatham  a  conven- 
tion of  sympathizers  was  held  in  May,  1859, 
whereat  a  "  provisional  constitution  and  ordinances 
for  the  people  of  the  United  States"  was  adopted, 
"  not,"  as  the  instrument  declared,  "  for  the  over- 
throw of  any  government,  but  simply  to  amend 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  65 

and  repeal. "  This  was,  of  course,  a  part  of  the 
scheme  for  promoting  the  uprising  of  the  slaves 
for  obtaining  their  freedom. 

Mark  listened  carefully  to  the  wild  plans  of 
Brown,  and  when  he  had  concluded  asked: 

"  How  do  YOU  propose  to  succeed,  Mr.  Brown?" 

"  The  blacks  will  rise  in  a  body  and  flock  to  my 
standard.  Do  you  see  that?"  he  asked  pointing 
to  the  United  States  arsenal. 

"Yes." 

"  We  will  seize  that  first,  and  arm  every  negro, 
and  free  Virginia. " 

Mark  looked  at  him  a  moment  incredulously 
and  said: 

"  Mr.  Brown,  you  must  be  mad.  Such  a  thing 
is  impossible. " 

"  All  things  are  possible  with  God." 

"  But  God  does  not  ordain  any  such  work." 

For  the  first  time  in  his  acquaintance  with  John 
Brown,  he  saw  his  face  flame  with  a  passion.  The 
old  man's  eyes  gleamed  from  under  his  shaggy 
eyebrows,  as  he  cried : 

"Does  not  God  ordain  me  for  this  work? — I 
know  it — I  know  it!  I  shall  go  down  in  history 
as  the  liberator  of  slaves. " 

"  Mr.  Brown,  you  are  a  mistaken  man.  Your 
faith  will  be  shattered  when  you  see  how  your 
plans  fail.     You  do  not  understand  the  negroes  as 


66  UNION. 

well  as  I.  They  will  not  flock  to  your  standard. 
You  people  of  the  North  count  too  much  on  the 
intelligence  and  patriotism  of  the  black  man. 
While  I  believe  he  should  be  free,  while  I  believe 
his  slavery  is  a  curse  to  the  land,  yet  I  have  no 
confidence  in  the  negro's  fidelity  and  intelligence. 
You  forget  that  he  is  of  an  inferior  race,  and  that 
his  only  enlightenment  from  barbarism  has  been  in 
his  slave  state.  It  would  take  one  hundred  years 
of  freedom  to  bring  the  negro  to  the  point  in  per- 
fection you*  now  believe  he  has  attained,  even  if 
he  ever  reaches  it.  You  will  hardly  be  able  to 
muster  a  score  to  your  side,  when  you  strike  a 
blow  for  freedom." 

"  I  am  called  of  God " 

"No,  no,  Mr.  Brown,"  interrupted  Mark. 
"  Again  you  are  deluded.  God  does  not  call  upon 
you  to  commit  murder.  Christ  said  to  Peter, 
'Put  up  thy  sword,'  and  He  healed  the  ear  of  the 
high  priest.  To  succeed,  you  would  have  to  shed 
rivers  of  blood.  Thousands  of  ignorant,  half -sav- 
age negroes  would  be  turned  loose  to  murder  and 
plunder  their  masters.  I  hope  you  will  forbear  so 
mad  a  project. " 

Pleading  with  a  man  of  Brown's  temperament 
was  in  vain.  He  had  so  long  brooded  over  the 
subject  of  slavery  that  he  saw  but  one  vision,  that 
of  freedom  of  the  negroes.     He  had  only  one  idea. 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  67 

To  him  there  was  but  one  wrong,  and  to  right  that 
wrong  any  amount  of  wrongs  might  be  committed. 
John  Brown  is  a  study  for  the  impartial  histo- 
rian. With  those  who  lived  in  his  day  he  was  a 
saint  or  a  devil,  a  man  ordained  of  God  to  bring 
about  the  redemption  of  the  black  race  from 
slavery,  or  a  dark-hearted,  ambitious  murderer. 
The  sooner  the  American  people  get  over  their 
prejudice  on  one  hand,  and  foolish  admiration  of 
John  Brown  on  the  other,  the  sooner  will  they 
come  to  a  just  and  true  apprehension  of  the  man. 
He  was  neither  a  saint  nor  was  he  a  devil.  He  was 
more  nearly  a  madman  than  either.  John  Brown's 
whole  soul  was  wrapped  up  in  the  liberation  of 
the  slaves,  his  motive  was  good ;  but  his  means 
were  foolish  and  diabolical.  He  was  no  Christian; 
for  he  killed  and  incited  others  to  do  the  same. 
He  was  no  soldier ;  for  a  good  general  would  never 
have  allowed  himself  to  be  caught  in  such  a  trap, 
as  he  was  at  Harper's  Ferry.  To  tell  the  real 
truth,  John  Brown's  act  was  a  piece  of  stupendous 
folly,  which  must  cause  any  fair-thinking  man  to 
smile.  Just  what  he  intended  is  a  mystery.  Be- 
fore his  capture,  while  seizing  Harper's  Ferry,  he 
declared  his  intention  to  "  free  the  slaves. "  After 
his  capture,  he  stated  that  he  never  intended  a 
general  insurrection.  John  Brown  violated  the 
laws   of   Virginia   by   inciting   the    slaves   to   rise 


68  UNION. 

against  their  masters;  he  violated  the  laws  of  the 
nation  in  seizing  United  States  arms ;  he  committed 
murder  while  resisting  arrest;  was  tried,  convicted 
and  hung.  When  we  come  to  look  calmly  at  the 
cold  facts  in  the  light  of  reason,  with  eyes  unprej- 
udiced and  mind  unbiased  by  the  nonsensical  sen- 
timentality of  the  abolitionist,  John  Brown  de- 
served his  fate,  as  much  as  the  Chicago  Anarchists, 
or  any  other  failures  at  a  revolution.  That  he 
was  a  martyr  to  the  freedom  of  the  negroes,  there 
is  cause  for  dispute,  for  it  may  be  doubted  if  his 
death  had  anything  to  do  with  their  freedom. 

While  Brown  was  trying  to  convert  Mark 
Stevens  to  his  mode  of  thought  and  action,  his 
son,  John  Brown  Jr.,  was  in  Canada.  His  father 
had  sent  him  there  to  enlist  the  active  support  of 
the  better  class  of  colored  men  who  had  escaped 
from  bondage;  in  fact  to  recruit  soldiers  for  their 
cause.  He  had  been  quite  successful,  and  had 
just  returned  to  their  home  in  Ashtabula  County, 
intending  to  rejoin  his  father  near  the  scene  of 
action,  when  the  combat  took  place.  It  was  the 
intention  not  to  make  the  attack  for  some  months ; 
but  when  Mark  Stevens,  on  whose  support  Brown 
had  calculated,  refused  to  enter  into  his  scheme, 
the  liberator  determined  to  strike  at  once. 

Mark  Stevens  was  perplexed  as  to  what  he 
should  do.      Although   born   and   raised   in  Ken- 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  69 

tuckj,  and  the  son  of  a  slave-holder,  he  had  been 
an  advocate  of  abolition.  He  was  a  strong  ad- 
mirer of  the  new  Republican  party,  which  had 
freedom  of  mankind  for  its  platform ;  bnt  he  dared 
not  enlist  under  the  banner  of  this  madman.  He 
dared  not  raise  his  hand  against  the  laws  of  his 
land  to  bring  about  a  reform. 

"  Two  wrongs  cannot  make  a  right, "  he  thought. 
Besides  the  plan  must  fail.  Brown's  only  hope  of 
success  was  in  a  general  uprising  of  the  negroes, 
and  Mark  knew  negro  character  too  well  to  believe 
any  concert  of  action  on  their  part  possible.  Many 
loved  their  masters  too  well  to  slay  them,  even 
though  they  might  desire  their  own  freedom. 

Mark  went  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Beverly  near 
Harper's  Ferry,  a  gentleman  of  strong  common 
sense,  who  was  cool,  unprejudiced  and  capable  of 
advising  in  such  a  matter.  He  reached  his  house 
Sunday,  October  16,  1859.  Brown  and  his  spies 
had  been  watching  him,  and  Mark  was  really  in 
danger.  Those  men  fresh  from  the  battlefields  of 
Kansas  did  not  hold  life  in  the  highest  esteem. 

He  held  a  long  consultation  with  Mr.  Beverly 
as  to  what  he  should  do  in  the  premises.  Mr. 
Beverly  was  a  Republican,  but  a  law-abiding  citi- 
zen, and  he  could  not  favor  such  a  scheme  as  John 
Brown's. 

"  He  must  be  arrested,"  said  Mr.  Beverly.      "  It 


70  UNION. 

will  not  do  to  permit  so  dangerous  a,  man  to  be  at 
large.      We  will  inform  on  him  in  the  morning." 

But  John  Brown  acted  on  that  very  night.  One 
Ijy  one,  his  followers  had  been  stealthily  congre- 
gating, and  pikes,  guns  and  ammunition  gathered 
together  for  striking  the  first  blow  at  Virginia  and 
arming  the  slaves.  The  refusal  of  Mark  to  take 
part  in  the  insurrection,  and  the  fears  that  he 
might  betray  his  plans  caused  him  to  act  at  once. 
Under  cover  of  profound  darkness.  Brown,  at  the 
head  of  seventeen  white  men  and  five  negroes, 
entered  the  village  of  Harper's  Ferry  on  that  fatal 
Sunday  night,  put  out  the  street  lights,  and  seized 
the  armory  and  the  railway  bridge,  and  quietly 
arrested  and  imprisoned  in  the  government  build- 
ings the  citizens  found  in  the  streets  at  the  earliest 
hours  of  the  next  morning,  each  one  being  igno- 
rant of  what  had  happened.  The  invaders  seized 
Colonel  Washington,  living  a  few  miles  from 
Harper's  Ferry;  with  his  arms  and  horses,  and 
liberated  his  slaves,  and  at  eight  o'clock  on  Mon- 
day morning,  the  17th  of  October,  Brown  and  his 
followers  (among  whom  were  two  of  his  sons)  had 
full  possession  of  the  village  and  government 
works.  His  action  was  as  much  an  act  of  open 
rebellion  as  the  attack  and  capture  of  Fort  Sumter. 
When  asked  what  his  purpose  was,  and  by  what 
authority  he  acted,  Brown  replied: 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  71 

"  To  free  the  slaves,  and  by  the  authority  of 
God  Almighty. " 

He  thought  that  when  he  struck  this  blow  the 
negroes  of  the  surrounding  country  would  rise  and 
flock  to  his  standard.  He  believed  that  a  general 
uprising  of  the  slaves  of  the  whole  country  would 
follow,  and  that  he  would  win  the  satisfaction  of 
being  a  great  liberator.  He  was  mistaken.  While 
the  martyr  to  their  liberty  was  offering  up  his  life 
and  the  lives  of  his  sons  at  Harper's  Ferry,  a 
dozen  miles  away,  the  negroes  were  singing,  play- 
ing the  banjo  and  dancing,  not  caring  a  fig  for 
Brown  and  his  sentimental  notions. 

Mark  was  sleeping  soundly,  when  Mr.  Beverly 
came  to  his  room  and  cried: 

"Awake,  Mark!  for  Heaven's  sake,  wake  and 
fly  for  your  life!     Brown  has  already  struck." 

Plurriedly  dressing,  Mark  raised  his  window  and 
looked  down  on  the  village  not  a  fourth  of  a  mile 
away,  but  all  was  utter  darkness.  Only  the  wild 
tumult  of  voices  and  deep,  stern  tones  of  John 
Brown  in  command  told  of  danger. 

"  The  madman  has  done  his  work, "  thought 
Mark,  as  he  hurried  away  from  the  house,  went  to 
a  farmer's,  mounted  a  horse  and  riding  to  the 
nearest  telegraph  station,  telegraphed  the  news  all 
over  the  country.  Governor  Henry  A.  Wise,  at 
once  ordered  out  the  militia,  and  by  noon  a  com- 


72  UNION. 

pany  of  the  State  Guards  was  at  Harper's  Ferry. 
Mark  returned  to  the  town  with  the  militia  and 
from  an  eminence  saw  the  puffing  of  smoke  and 
heard  the  sharp  crack  of  musketry.  Brown  and 
his  forces  were  driven  into  the  fire-engine  house, 
where  they  defended  themselves  with  great  bravery. 

On  Monday  evening,  Colonel  Eobert  E.  Lee 
arrived  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Mnth  ninety  United 
States  marines  and  two  pieces  of  artillery.  The 
instructions  of  President  Buchanan  were  to  use 
caution.  The  last  orders  from  Secretary  Floyd  to 
Lee  was  to,  "  Give  'em  h — 1,  colonel." 

When  Colonel  Lee  arrived  on  the  scene,  he 
found  Brown  with  his  band  and  the  prisoners  he 
had  taken,  in  the  engine-house.  It  was  a  small 
house  inside  the  grounds  of  the  arsenal,  exactly 
like  an  ordinary  fire-engine  house  in  cities — with 
large  folding -doors.  The  Virginia  militia  had 
been  deliberating  upon  the  best  means  of  assault; 
but  when  Colonel  Lee  arrived  he  assumed  com- 
mand, and  the  first  step  he  took  was  to  send  Lieu- 
tenant J.  E.  B.  Stuart  forward  to  demand  a  sur- 
render. He  accordingly  walked  into  the  enclosure, 
and  approached  the  engine-house,  waving  a  white 
handkerchief,  and,  when  he  got  to  the  door,  called 
out  that  he  wished  to  see  Captain  Smith ;  for  up 
to  this  time  but  few  knew  that  the  insurrectionist 
was  in  reality  John  Brown  of  Kansas  fame.      At 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL. 


73 


Lieutenant  Stuart's  call,  Brown  came  and  opened 
one  fold  of  the  door  a  little  way.  Behind  it  was 
a  heavy  rope  stretched  across,  better  security  than 
a  bar,  as  it  would  yield  if  a 
battering  ram  of  any  sort  were 
used,  but  would  not  give  way. 

Brown  had  a  gun  in  his 
hand,  and  below  appeared  the 
head  of  a  big  bull  dog,  which 
kept  snarling  at  Stuart,  and 
causing  him  to  feel  unpleas- 
antly. No  sooner  had  the 
Lieutenant  seen  the  insurgent, 
than  he  remembered  him  and 
asked : 

"  You  are  Ossawattomie 
Brown  of  Kansas,  are  you 
not?" 

Old  John  Brown  gazed  at  him  keenly  from 
under  his  grizzly,  shaggy  eyebrows,  and  coolly 
answered : 

"  Well,  they  do  call  me  that  sometimes,  Lieu- 
tenant. " 

"  I  thought  I  remembered  meeting  you  in  Kan- 
sas, "  the  lieutenant  gravely  said.  "  This  is  a  bad 
business  you  are  in.  Captain.  The  United  States 
troops  have  arrived  and  I  am  sent  to  demand  your 
surrender. " 


John  Brown. 


74  UNION. 

"  Upon  what  terms?"  he  asked  without  display- 
ing the  least  sort  of  excitement. 

"  The  terms  are  that  you  must  surrender  to  the 
officer  commanding  the  troops,  and  he  will  protect 
you  from  the  crowd,  and  guarantee  you  a  fair  trial. " 

Brown  shaking  his  head  answered: 

"  I  can't  surrender  on. such  terms.  You  must 
allow  me  to  leave  this  engine-house  with  my  com- 
rades and  the  prisoners,  and  march  across  the  river 
to  the  Maryland  side:  there  I  will  release  the 
prisoners,  and,  as  soon  as  this  is  done,  your  troops 
may  lire  on  and  pursue  us. " 

Lieutenant  Stuart  answered  that  he  had  no 
authority  to  agree  to  any  such  arrangement,  and 
was  ordered  to  demand  his  surrender  on  the  terms 
first  proposed. 

"Well,  Lieutenant,"  Brown  answered,  coolly, 
"  I  see  we  can't  agree.  You  have  the  numbers  on 
me ;  but  you  know  we  soldiers  are  not  afraid  of 
death.  I  would  as  lief  die  by  a  bullet  as  on  the 
gallows. " 

"Is  that  your  final  answer,  Captain?"  asked 
the  Lieutenant.* 

"Yes." 

Stuart  turned  sadly  away  and  went  back  to 
Colonel  Lee,  saying  they  refused  to  surrender. 

*  Historical  account  in  Cooke's  "Surry  of  Eagle's- Nest." 


"the    united    states   TROOrS    HAVE    AlUtlVED,  AND    I    AM    SENT    To    DEMAND    VOUR 
SURRENDER." 


SAINT  OR  DEVIL.  75 

"  Take  that  ladder  and  batter  down  the  door, " 
commanded  Lee  of  the  marines.  As  they  ap- 
proached the  door,  Brown  and  his  party  opened 
fire  and  two  or  three  fell.  The  fire  was  returned 
and  for  several  moments  the  conflict  raged.  One 
of  Brown's  sons  lay  dead  on  the  floor,  another  lay 
dying  in  his  father's  arms;  yet  with  one  hand  he 
felt  the  pulse  of  his  dying  child,  held  his  gun 
with  the  other  and  coolly  issued  his  commands. 
The  door  was  battered  down  and  after  a  brief 
struggle  the  whole  party  was  captured. 

Brown  was  tried  for  treason,  convicted  and  hung 
on  December  3d,  1859,  and  ever  since  his  enthusi- 
astic admirers  have  sung: 

"John  Brown's  soul  goes  marching  on." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CALHOUNISM. 

It  is  easy,  after  events  have  transpired,  for 
would-be  philosophers  to  see  what  means  brought 
them  about;  but  it  requires  a  sage  or  prophet  to 
penetrate  into  the  future.  The  war  of  1861  had 
its  origin  in  the  constitutional  convention.  Wash- 
ington and  Hamilton  foresaw  the  danger  of  State 
supremacy,  when  they  urged  a  strong  centralized 
power.  A  Union  of  sand  was  dangerous,  and  they 
knew  it.  Thomas  Jefferson  and  his  school,  equally 
as  patriotic  as  Washington  and  Hamilton,  never- 
theless from  their  bitter  experience  with  mon- 
archies and  centralized  power,  advocated  different 
principles  in  the  doctrine  of  State  supremacy. 
This  doctrine,  however,  was  first  fully  promulgated 
by  John  C.  Calhoun  and  may  be  attributed  to 
him.  This  pernicious  doctrine  gave  warning  of 
the  evil  fruits  it  was  bearing  long  before  it  cul- 
minated in  the  tempest  of  carnage  and  blood.  We 
can  see  its  effects  as  early  as  1812,  when  the  New 
England  States  refused  to  obey  the  order  of  the 

76 


CALHOVNISM.  77 

general  government  for  troops  to  defend  the  north- 
ern frontier;  again  m  the  revolt  of  South  Carolina 
under  Jackson's  administration.  Again  and  again 
the  republic  was  warned  of  its  danger,  until  the 
sages  of  the  day  predicted  that  State  supremacy 
was  a  nice  point  of  constitutional  law  which  must 
be  settled  in  the  highest  court,  a  resort  to  arms. 

The  time  for  that  appeal  was  coming.  When 
James  Buchanan  was  inaugurated  the  fifteenth 
president  of  the  United  States  on  the  4th  of 
March,'  1857,  and  chose  for  his  constitutional  ad- 
visers, Louis  Cass,  secretary  of  state;  Howell 
Cobb,  secretary  of  the  treasury;  John  B.  Floyd, 
secretary  of  war;  Isaac  Toucey,  secretary  of  the 
navy ;  Jacob  Thompson,  secretary  of  the  interior, 
Aaron  V.  Brown,  postmaster-general,  a  new  era 
in  the  history  of  our  country  dawned.  It  was  the 
beginning  of  a  great  political  and  social  revolution 
in  the  republic  which  entirely  changed  the  indus- 
trial aspects  in  many  of  the  States  of  the  Union. 

It  was  during  the  administration  of  Mr.  Buchan- 
an that  the  preliminary  skirmishes,  moral  and 
physical,  which  immediately  preceded  the  war, 
occurred.  Both  parties  were  then  putting  on  their 
armor  and  preparing  their  weapons  for  the  struggle. 
There  were  two  wings  of  the  democracy  at  this 
time.  One  leaning  toward  an  anti-slavery  policy, 
advocating  gradual   emancipation,    and   the  other 


78  UNION.  , 

declaring  slavery  a  divine  institution.  The  doc- 
trine of  Calhounism  was  no  doubt  advocated 
merely  as  a  convenience  for  the  promulgation  of 
slavery;  but  in  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Buchanan 
the  two  branches  of  democracy  harmonized.  In 
their  resolutions,  put  forth  as  a  platform  of  prin- 
ciples, they  approved  the  invasion  and  usurpation 
of  Walker  in  Nicaragua,  as  efforts  of  the  people  of 
Central  America  "  to  regenerate  that  portion  of  the 
continent  which  covers  the  passage  across  the  in- 
teroceanic  isthmus."  They  also  approved  the 
doctrine  of  the  "  Ostend  Manifesto,"  by  resolving 
that  "  the  Democratic  party  was  in  favor  of  the 
acquisition  of  Cuba. " 

One  of  the  most  vital  preliminary  skirmishes, 
though  wholly  of  a  moral  nature,  to  the  great  civil 
war  began  just  about  the  time  of  the  accession  of 
Mr.  Buchanan  to  the  presidency. 

This  skirmish  is  known  in  history  as  the  "  Dred 
Scott  decision."  Dred  Scott  was  a  young  negro 
owned  by  Dr.  Emerson  of  the  United  States  army, 
living  in  Missouri.  When  the  doctor  was  ordered 
to  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  in  1834,  he  took  Scott 
with  him.  There  Major  Taliaferro  of  the  army 
had  a  female  slave,  and  when  the  two  masters  were 
transferred  to  Fort  Snelling  (now  in  Minnesota) 
next  year,  the  two  slaves  with  the  consent  of  their 
masters  were  married.      They   had   two    children 


CALHOUNISM.  79 

born  in  the  free-labor  Territory,  and  the  mother 
was  bought  by  Dr.  Emerson  in  order  to  keep  the 
family  from  being  separated.  He  brought  the 
parents  and  children  to  Missouri  and  sold  them  to 
a  New  Yorker.  Scott  sued  for  his  freedom,  on 
the  plea  of  his  involuntary  residence  in  a  free- 
labor  State  and  Territory  for  several  years,  and  the 
circuit  court  of  St.  Louis  decided  in  his  favor. 
The  supreme  court  of  Missouri  reversed  the  deci- 
sion of  the  inferior  court,  and  the  case  was  carried 
by  an  appeal  to  the  supreme  court  of  the  United 
States,  presided  over  by  Chief  Justice  Eoger  B. 
Taney,  a  Maryland  slave-holder.  A  majority  of 
the  court  was  composed  of  men  in  sympathy  with 
slavery,  and  their  decision,  about  to  be  given  in 
1856,  was,  for  prudential  reasons,  withheld  until 
after  the  president's  election. 

The  chief  justice  who  rendered  the  decision 
went  out  of  the  way  to  so  firmly  establish  the  in- 
cubus of  slavery  on  the  government,  that  nothing 
save  arms  could  free  it.  He  declared  that  any 
person  "  whose  ancestors  were  imported  into  this 
country  and  held  as  slaves"  had  no  right  to  sue  in 
any  court  of  the  United  States.  The  only  ques- 
tion upon  which  the  court  could  have  legitimately 
decided  was  the  question  of  jurisdiction;  but  the 
chief  justice,  with  the  sanction  of  a  majority  of 
the  bench  went  outside  to  declare  that  the  fraraers 


80  UNION. 

and  supporters  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
did  not  include  the  negro  race  in  our  country  in 
the  great  proclamation  that  "  all  men  are  created 
equal;"  that  the  patriots  of  the  Revolution,  and 
all  their  progenitors  "  for  more  than  a  century 
before,"  regarded  the  negroes  as  beings  of  an  in- 
ferior race,  and  altogether  unfit  to  associate  with 
the  white  race  either  in  social  or  political  relations, 
and  so  far  inferior  that  they  had  no  rights  which  a 
white  man  was  bound  to  respect,  and  that  the 
negro  might  lawfull}^  be  reduced  to  slavery  for  the 
white  man's  benefit. 

Chief  Justice  Taney  then  hurled  a  firebrand 
into  the  camp  of  friend  or  foe  which  kindled  the 
destructive  war  that  followed,  by  declaring  that 
the  Missouri  Compromise  Act  and  all  other  acts 
for  the  restriction  of  slavery  were  unconstitutional, 
and  that  neither  congress  nor  local  legislature  had 
any  authority  for  restricting  the  spread  of  the  in- 
stitution all  over  the  Union.  Although  a  State 
or  Territory  might  be  supreme  and  independent  of 
the  general  government  in  all  other  things,  it  had 
no  power  to  settle  the  question  of  slavery  accord- 
ing to  the  Dred  Scott  decision. 

There  was  civil  war  in  Kansas  in  the  earlier 
part  of  185().  As  is  always  the  case,  outrages  too 
terrible  to  mention  were  committed  by  both  parties. 
Lawlessness  has  ever  hovered  on  the  frontier  and 


CALHOUNISM.  81 

under  the  mask  of  Free-State  or  Proslavery  many 
depredations  were  committed.  During  1856,  the 
war  in  Kansas  assumed  an  alarming  aspect.  The 
actual  settlers  of  Kansas  from  free-labor  States  out- 
numbered the  emigrants  from  elsewhere,  and  a 
regiment  of  young  men  from  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina,  under  Colonel  Bufford,  fully  armed  went 
into  the  territory  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  mak- 
ing it  a  slave-labor  State  "  at  all  hazards."  They 
were  joined  by  armed  Missourians,  and  for  several 
months  spread  terror  over  the  land.  They  sacked 
the  town  of  Lawrence,  and  murdered  and  plundered 
people  in  various  places.  Steamboats  ascending 
the  Missouri  Elver  with  emigrants  from  free-labor 
States  were  stopped,  and  the  passengers  were  fre- 
quently robbed  of  their  money,  and  persons  of  the 
same  class,  crossing  the  State  of  Missouri,  were 
arrested  and  turned  back.  Lawlessness  reigned  su- 
preme in  all  that  region.  Justice  was  bound,  and 
there  was  general  defiance  of  all  mandates  of  right. 
The  civil  war  in  Kansas  was  more  wasteful  than 
bloody.  It  was  more  a  war  more  for  personal  gain 
than  principle.  Eobbery  and  horse-stealing  was 
practised  more  than  military  movements.  Assas- 
sinations were  common  and  conflicts  few.  Neither 
side  did  anything  praiseworthy.  John  Brown, 
with  twenty-eight  emigrants,  fought  H.  Clay  Pate 
of  Virginia  with  fifty-six  armed  men,  on  the 
6 


82  UNION. 

prairie  at  Ossawattomie.  An  early  account  of  the 
fight  reports  Brown  as  defeated,  and  sa3^s  he  re- 
treated. It  also  gives  the  number  of  border  ruf- 
fians or  proslavery  men  at  six  hundred.  Later 
histories  say  Brown  gained  a  victory.  It  was  very 
insignificant  either  way.  The  term  border  ruffian 
might  be  applied  alike  to  the  free -soil  and  pro- 
slavery  men.  Finally,  John  W.  Geary,  afterward 
a  major-general  and  governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  succeeded  Shannon  as  chief  magistrate  of 
Kansas,  by  judicious  administration  of  affairs 
there,  smothered  the  flames  of  civil  war,  and  both 
parties  worked  vigorously  with  moral  forces  for 
the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  State  of  the  Union, 
but  with  ends  in  view  diametrically  opposed. 
Though  the  war  in  Kansas  never  fully  subsided 
until  it  was  swallowed  up  by  the  great  rebellion, 
there  was  a  lull  in  hostilities  after  John  Brown 
left  the  Territory,  and  human  life  became  more 
safe.  Most  of  the  killing  was  done  by  assassina- 
tion. Men  were  called  to  their  doors  at  night  and 
shot  down  by  unknown  assassins. 

The  fugitive -slave  law  now  began  to  bear  bitter 
fruit,  and  it  soon  became  one  of  the  most  prolific 
causes  of  the  continually  increasing  controversies 
between  the  upliolders  and  opposers  of  the  slave- 
labor  system.  It  was  made  more  offensive  by  the 
evident  intention  of  the  friends  of  the  institution 


CALHOUNISM.  83 

everywhere  to  nationalize  slavery,  and  the  perver- 
sion of  the  obvious  meaning  of  the  vital  doctrine 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  by  the  judicial 
branch  of  the  government,  while  the  executive 
branch  was  ready  to  lend  his  tremendous  power  in 
giving  practical  effect  to  the  system,  which  awak- 
ened in  the  breasts  of  the  people  of  the  free -labor 
States  a  burning  desire  to  wipe  the  stain  of  human 
bondage  from  the  escutcheon  of  the  Republic. 
Seizures  under  the  fugitive-slave  law  were  becom- 
ing more  and  more  frequent,  with  circumstances 
of  increasing  injustice  and  cruelty.  The  business 
of  arresting  and  remanding  to  hopeless  slavery, 
men,  women  and  children,  was  carried  on  all  over 
the  free-labor  States,  and  the  people  stood  appalled. 
By  that  dreadful  law,  every  man,  under  certain 
conditions,  was  compelled  to  become  a  slave  hunt- 
er; and  every  kind-hearted  woman,  who  might 
give  a  cup  of  cold  water,  or  the  shelter  of  a  roof 
to  a  suffering  negro,  bleeding  from  intolerable 
bondage,  incurred  the  penalty  of  felony.  The 
law  became  a  broad  cover  under  which  the  kid- 
napping of  free  persons  of  color  was  extensively 
carried  on,  and  scores  of  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, born  free,  were  dragged  from  their  homes 
and  consigned  to  hopeless  bondage. 

The    abolitionists    were    not  wholly    blameless. 
They    were    constantly    irritating   the    proslavery 


84  UNION. 

peoj^le  and  inciting  their  negroes  to  run  away. 
Many  a  poor  negro  witii  a  good  master  was  living 
comfortably  and  contentedly  at  home  until  the  dis- 
turber came  to  put  the  idea  of  escape  into  his  head. 
Then  came  flight  and  misery.  There  is  no  im- 
partial historian  in  America  who  has  dealt  with 
this  subject.  No  historian  will  deal  impartially 
with  it  for  the  next  hundred  years — if  ever.  The 
author  confesses  that  his  prejudices  against  the 
slave-holder  mislead  him  to  some  extent,  yet  from 
personal  observation  he  knows  that  only  the  worst 
examples  of  slavery  were  recorded  in  history. 
Those  rare  examples  were  made  to  represent  the 
conditions  of  human  beings  in  bondage.  While 
they  were  rare  exceptions  of  cruelty  and  degrada- 
tion, they  showed  to  what  ends  the  system  might 
go.  The  abolitionists  placed  a  barrier  between 
master  and  man  and  often  increased  the  severity  of 
the  former,  and  misery  of  the  latter. 

On  a  cold  day  in  January,  1856,  two  slaves, 
with  their  wives  and  four  children,  all  thinly  clad, 
escaped  from  Kentucky  into  Ohio.  They  crossed 
the  frozen  river  to  Cincinnati,  closely  pursued  by 
the  master  of  three  of  them  on  horseback.  In 
Cincinnati,  they  were  harbored  by  a  colored  man. 
Their  retreat  was  discovered  by  the  pursuing  mas- 
ter, who  repaired  to  the  house  with  the  United 
States  marshal   and  his  deputies,   and  demanded 


CALHOUNISM.  85 

their  surrender.  They  refused ;  and  after  a  des- 
perate struggle,  the  door  was  broken  open  and  the 
fugitives  were  secured.  They  had  determined  to 
die  rather  than  to  be  taken  back  into  shivery. 
The  mother  of  the  three  children,  in  despair,  tried 
first  to  kill  her  offspring  and  then  herself.  When 
she  was  seized,  she  had  slain  one  of  her  children. 
A  coroner's  jury  decided  to  hold  the  mother  for 
murder  under  the  laws  of  Ohio;  but  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  fugitive-slave  law  had  been  made 
so  absolute  by  the  terms  of  its  enactments  and  the 
opinion  of  the  chief  justice  of  the  United  States, 
that  a  State  law  could  not  interfere  with  it;  so  the 
mother  and  her  surviving  companions  were  taken 
back  into  slavery. 

We  see  by  this  construction  of  the  fugitive- 
slave  law  and  the  Dred  Scott  decision,  the  incon- 
sistency of  the  enemies  of  the  Union.  On  the  one 
hand,  they  were  States-rights  men,  strong  be- 
lievers in  State  supremacy,  when  the  working  of 
that  doctrine  was  to  their  own  advantage;  but 
wlieu  the  authority  of  a  State  was  attempted  to  be 
exercised  against  a  woman  who  had  murdered  her 
own  child,  the  government  was  strong  enough  to 
take  her  across  the  river  and  restore  her  to  her 
master. 

It  was  the  ok]  fable  over  again  of  whose  ox  was 
gored, 


86  UNION. 

Early  in  1857,  the  public  mind  was  for  awhile 
diverted  from  the  absorbing  topic  of  slavery  by 
trouble  with  the  Mormons  in  Utah  Territory.  The 
Mormons  incensed  because  their  Territory  was 
not  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State,  commenced 
revolutionary  proceedings.  Under  the  instruc- 
tions of  Brigham  Young,  the  successor  of  Joseph 
Smith,  and  their  spiritual  head  and  appointed 
governor,  they  destroyed  the  records  of  the  United 
States  Court  in  their  district.  They  also  resolved 
to  set  up  an  independent  government,  and  looked 
to  Young  for  all  laws,  in  defiance  of  those  of  the 
United  States.  President  Buchanan  resolved  to 
enforce  the  latter,  and,  depriving  Young  of  the 
office  of  governor  of  the  Territory,  he  put  Colonel 
Alfred  Cumming,  a  superintendent  of  Indian 
affairs  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  in  his  place.  Pie 
also  ajDpointed  Judge  Eckles  chief  justice  of  the 
Territory,  and  sent  twenty-five  hundred  armed 
men,  with  experienced  officers  to  protect  them  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duties.  Young  at  first  de- 
termined to  resist  the  national  government.  He 
issued  a  proclamation  denouncing  the  army  as  a 
mob,  forbidding  it  to  enter  the  Territory,  and  call- 
ing the  people  of  Utah  to  arms  to  repel  its  advance. 
When  it  entered  the  Territory  early  in  Autumn, 
it  was  assailed  by  Mormon  cavalry  who  destroyed 
several  supply  trains  and  seized  eight  hundied  of 


CALHOUNISM.  87 

the  oxen  at  the  rear  of  the  army.  The  little  force, 
thus  crippled,  and  caught  among  the  snows  in  the 
mountains,  went  into  winter  quarters.  Colonel  A. 
Sidney  Johnston  was  in  command  of  them ;  and 
Governor  Gumming  proclaimed  the  Territory  of 
Utah  to  be  in  a  state  of  rebellion.  The  spring  of 
1858  howeyer,  found  the  Mormons  in  a  less  bel- 
ligerent mood.  The  president  offered  to  pardon 
all  who  should  submit  to  national  authority,  and 
Brigham  Young,  evidently  believing  discretion  a 
better  part  of  valor,  received  the  new  governor 
courteousl}',  but  I'esolved  to  leave  the  country 
rather  than  submit  to  gentile  rule.  He  changed 
his  mind,  however,  and  lived  there  until  he  died. 

The  Republican  part}^  had  been  rapidly  acquir- 
ing strength.  It  was  not  an  abolition  party  in  the 
sense  that  is  usually  supposed ;  that  is,  it  was  not 
the  intent  of  the  party,  nor  its  leaders  to  forcibly 
free  all  the  slaves  in  the  South,  though  the  Repub- 
lican party  was  in  apogee  to  the  burning  crime  of 
slavery.  The  great  leaders  of  the  party  favored 
first  checking  the  spread  of  the  disease,  and  then 
gradually  extinguishing  it.  Just  how  they  would 
do  so,  the  wisest  among  them  could  not  determine; 
but  they  trusted  to  God  to  help  them  out  of  the 
difficulty. 

One  thing  is  certain, — such  grand  men  as  Lin- 
coln and  Sumner  never  desired  bloodshed  and  war. 


88  UNION. 

That  idea  was  inculcated  by  foolish  fanatics  like 
John  Brown,  the  surviving  members  of  whose 
family  took  scarcely  any  part  in  the  war  after  it 
began.  There  was  talk  of  purchasing  the  slaves 
at  the  expense  of  the  government,  of  gradual 
emancipation  and  many  theories  proposed,  none  of 
which  would  suit  the  southern  people,  who,  hug- 
ging to  their  l)reast  the  idea  of  divine  right  of 
slavery  with  the  twin  delusion  of  State  supremacy, 
prepared  to  ruin  themselves  or  their  country. 

One  author  said :  "  It  was  the  dream  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  Great  Rebellion  to  dissolve  the  Union 
and  set  up  a  great  slave  empire. "  We  hardly  be- 
lieve that.  The  South  was  not  fully  organized 
when  the  time  came,  or  between  Lincoln's  election 
and  his  inauguration  they  would  have  throttled  the 
government.  It  might  have  been  the  dream  of  a 
few;  but  they  must  have  been  few  indeed.  1860 
came,  and,  being  a  presidential  year,  the  State- 
rights  Democracy  determined  that  they  would 
nominate  a  man  of  their  proclivities  or  divide  the 
part}^  The  history  of  the  convention  \vhich  met 
in  the  South  California  Institute  Hall,  in  Charles- 
ton, is  interesting  to  tlie  scholar,  but  has  no  place 
in  a  novel  like  this.  Jefferson  Davis  was  a  prom- 
inent candidate  of  the  State-rights  Democracy, 
while  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  Union  Democrat, 
was  the  favorite  of  his   class.     The   Democratic 


CALHOUNISM.  89 

convention,  after  adjourning  to  meet  in  Richmond, 
and  again  adjourning  to  meet  in  Baltimore,  finally 
split,  and  one  faction  nominated  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  and  the  other  faction  John  C.  Breckin- 
ridge. A  third  faction,  or  party,  called  Constitu- 
tional Union  Party,  nominated  John  Bell. 

The  Republican  party  nominated  Mr.  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  president,  with  Mr.  Hannibal  Hamlin 
for  vice-president.  The  party  could  not  have 
made  a  wiser  choice  for  the  head  of  its  ticket. 
Lincoln  was  a  man  who  came  from  among  the 
people.  He  had  drunk  the  cup  of  poverty  to  its 
bitter  dregs.  He  had  lived  in  a  slave  State  where 
he  knew  the  curse  that  slavery  was  to  the  poor 
whites.  He  knew  the  curse  of  slave-holding  aris- 
tocracy. Neither  Lincoln  nor  his  party  intended 
the  freedom  of  the  negroes.  Their  platform  never 
hinted  at  it,  and  subsequent  events  prove  that 
Lincoln  was  averse  to  the  act.  It  was  forced  upon 
him  in  the  third  year  of  the  war,  when  he  was 
compelled  to  do  so,  first  warning  the  States  in  re- 
bellion. 

Had  the  Democratic  party  not  been  divided,  the 
Republicans  would  probably  have  been  defeated, 
for  although  Lincoln  received  180  electoral  votes  to 
84  for  Breckinridge  and  12  for  Douglas,  he  did 
not  receive  one-half  of  the  popular  vote.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  he  was  fairly  and  honorably  elected,  and 


90 


UNION. 


the  loyal  Democrats  of  the  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
school  resolved  to  support  him,  while  the  State- 
supremacv  Democrats    once  more  revived  in  full 

force  the  pernicious  doc- 
trines of  Calhoun,  and 
were  loud  in  their  de- 
mands for  disunion. 
The  plans  taken  to  force 
States  out  of  the  Union 
were  contemptible. 
Wild,  incendiary 
speeches  were  made 
everywhere,  calculated 
to  drive  the  people  to 
the  most  desperate  meas- 
ures. One  orator  named 
Yancey,  of  Alabama, 
during  the  canvass  is  re- 
ported as  having  said: 
"  Organize  commit- 
tees all  over  the  cotton  States;  fire  the  southern 
heart;  instruct  the  southern  mind;  give  courage 
to  each  other ;  and  at  the  proper  moment,  by  one 
organized,  concreted  action,  precipitate  the  cotton. 
States  into  revolution." 

Calhounism,  or  State-supremacy  was  the  rock 
on  which  dashed  the  ship  of  state,  producing  the 
war,  all  sages,  statesmen  and  philosophers  to  the 


Abraham  Lincoln. 


CALHOUNISM.  91 

contrary  notwithstanding.  The  seed  of  secession 
sowed  by  Calhoun  was  independent  of  slavery. 
Slavery  was  only  an  excuse  for  testing  the  theor}^, 
and  had  it  not  been  tested  by  slavery  it  would 
have  been  tried  by  a  minority  holding  some  other 
view.  It  was  a  question  of  unwritten  constitu- 
tional law  which  had  to  be  settled  by  blood.  No 
court  was  high  enough  to  appeal  to  for  a  decision, 
save  the  appeal  to  arms.  A  close  student  of  our 
government  will  see  at  once  that  there  was  some 
excuse  for  the  error.  Like  all  qviestions  it  had 
two  sides.  We  were  on  the  side  that  prevailed. 
Our  southern  brother  was  on  the  side  which  failed, 
consequently  we  were  right  and  he  wrong.  As 
historians  we  have  been  unduly  harsh  with  our 
southern  brother,  though  as  soldiers  we  showed 
great  magnanimit}'  to  him  when  conquered.  Had 
there  been  no  slavery  to  uphold  by  the  South, 
perhaps  they  might  never  have  put  in  force  the 
dangerous  doctrines  of  Calhoun.  Had  there  been 
some  local  question  in  the  North  which  affected 
that  section  as  did  slavery  affect  the  South,  who 
knows  but  that  the  North  might  have  adopted  the 
same  theory  and  become  the  secessionists? 

Before  the  articles  of  confederation,  Virginia 
was  as  independent  of  Massachusetts  or  any  other 
colony,  as  is  Mexico  of  Peru ;  but  the  confederation 
of  States  united   them   for  mutual  protection,  and 


93  UNION. 

then  came  the  constitution,  making  the  Union  still 
stronger.  Mr.  Calhoun  treated  the  union  of  States 
simply  as  a  copartnership,  from  which  an}^  member 
of  the  firm  might  withdraw  at  will.  There  is 
direct  evidence  to  prove  that  the  politicians  of 
South  Carolina  and  elsewhere  had  been  making 
preparations  for  revolt  for  many  years,  and  that 
the  alleged  violations  of  tlie  fugitive-slave  act  and 
the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln  were  only  made  pre- 
texts for  stirring  up  the  "  common  people"  to  sup- 
port and  do  the  fighting  for  them.  The  testimony 
of  the  speakers  in  the  convention  at  Charleston, 
that  declared  the  secession  of  that  State  from  the 
Union,  was  clear  and  explicit. 

"It  is  not  an  event  of  a  da}^"  declared  Mr. 
Robert  Barnwell  Rhett,  one  of  the  most  violent 
declaimers  of  his  class;  "it  is  not  anything  pro- 
duced by  Mr.  Lincoln's  election,  or  by  the  non- 
execution  of  the  fugitive  slave  law.  It  is  a  matter 
which  has  been  gathering  head  for  thirty  years. 
In  regard  to  the  fugitive-slave  law,  I  myself 
doubted  its  constitutionality,  and  doubted  it  on 
the  floor  of  the  senate  when  I  was  a  member  of 
that  body.  The  States,  acting  in  their  sovereign 
capacity,  should  be  responsible  for  the  rendition 
of  slaves. " 

Mr.  Francis  S.  Parker,  another  member  of  the 
convention,  declared: 


CALHOUNISM.  93 

"  It  is  not  a  spasmodic  effort  tLat  lias  come  sud- 
denly upon  us;  it  has  been  gradually  culminating 
for  a  long  period  of  thirty  years. " 

Had  he  added,  ever  since  Mr.  Calhoun  began 
teaching  and  preaching  his  fallacious  doctrines  of 
State  sovereignty,  he  would  have  been  more  correct. 

The  South  was  now  in  a  fever  of  the  wildest  ex- 
citement. There  were  many  loyal  men  in  the 
South  who  opposed  secession  until  they  were  ab- 
solutely driven  into  it  by  the  politicians  and 
leaders.  Long  before  secession  was  declared,  there 
were  secret  orders  and  minute-men.  There  were 
midnight  musters  and  enrolments.  Arms  were 
secured  and  every  effort  made  for  a  terrible  war. 

When  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  certified, 
the  political  leaders  in  South  Carolina  were  eager 
to  begin  the  contemplated  revolution.  To  be  pre- 
pared for  immediate  action,  an  extraordinary  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature  was  assembled  at  Columbia 
on  the  15th'  of  November;  and  as  the  news  of  the 
result  of  the  election  went  over  the  land,  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  State  received  congratulatory  dispatches 
from  other  commonwealths  wherein  the  politicians 
were  in  sympathy  with  the  secessionists.  "  North 
Carolina  will  secede,"  a  dispatch  from  Raleigh 
said.  "  A  large  number  of  the  Bell  men  have  de- 
clared for  secession;  the  State  will  undoubtedly 
secede, "  said  another  from  the  capital  of  Alabama. 


94  UNION. 

Another  from  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  said,  "  The 
hour  for  action  has  come.  This  State  is  ready  to 
assert  her  rights  and  independence.  " 

The  men  sending  those  telegrams  perhaps  only 
gave  their  individual  opinions,  yet  they  claimed  to 
bind  the  whole  State  by  them.  The  South  Caro- 
lina legislature  was  bent  on  separation  from  the 
Union;  and  on  November  12,  1860,  an  act  was 
passed  authorizing  a  convention.  The  legislature 
also  formulated  the  doctrine  of  "  State  sovereignty, " 
or  State  supremacy,  in  a  resolution  that  declared 
that  a  "  sovereign  State"  of  the  Union  had  a  right 
to  secede  from  it,  adopting  as  its  own  the  doctrine 
that  the  States  of  the  Union  are  not  subordinate 
to  the  national  government;  were  not  created  by 
it,  and  do  not  belong  to  it;  that  they  created  the 
national  government;  from  them  it  derives  its 
powers;  to  them  it  is  responsible,  and  when  it 
abuses  the  trust  reposed  in  it,  they,  as  equal  sov- 
ereigns, have  a  right  to  resume  the  powers  respec- 
tively delegated  to  it  by  them.  This  is  the  sum 
and  substance  of  the  doctrine  of  State  supremacy 
("  State  rights, "  as  it  was  adroitly  called) ,  which 
dwarfs  patriotism  to  the  narrow  dimensions  of  a 
single  State,  denationalizes  the  American  citizen, 
and  opposes  the  fundamental  principles  upon  which 
the  founders  of  the  republic  securely  built  our 
noble  superstructure  of  a  free,  powei-ful  and  sover- 


CALHOUNISM.  95 

eign  commonwealth.  It  perverts  the  plain  mean- 
ing of  the  preamble  to  the  national  constitution, 
which  declared  that  the  ^;eo/)/e  (not  the  States)  of 
the  whole  country  had  given  vitality  to  that  fun- 
damental law  of  the  land,  and  to  the  nation. 
James  Madison,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  repub- 
lic, in  a  letter  to  Edmund  Eandolph  in  April, 
1787,  wrote:  "I  hold  it  for  a  fundamental  point, 
that  an  individual  independence  of  the  States  is 
utterly  irreconcilable  with  the  idea  of  aggregate 
sovereignty,"  and  Washington  wrote  in  a  letter  to 
John  Jay,  in  March,  1787,  on  the  subject  of  the 
national  constitution,  "  A  thirst  for  power  and  the 
bantling — I  had  liked  to  have  said  monster — sov- 
ereignty, which  have  taken  such  fast  hold  of  the 
States  individually,  when  joined  by  the  many 
whose  personal  consequence  in  the  line  of  State 
politics  will,  in  a  manner  be  annihilated,  form  a 
strong  phalanx  against  it. "  In  the  face  of  these 
sage  remarks,  Mr.  Calhoun  sowed  the  fatal  seed, 
and  now  the  harvest  of  woe,  misery  and  death  was 
ripening.  Could  all  the  poor  boys  in  blue  and 
gray  rise  from  their  tombs  and  confi'ont  John  C. 
Calhoun,  they  would  point  their  skeleton  fingers 
at  him  and  sa}^ : 

"  This  is  the  result  of  Calhounism."' 


CHAPTER   V. 

MRS.  Anderson's  recruit. 

Never  did  the  ship  of  State  so  need  a  master  at 
the  helm  as  in  the  dark  hours  which  marked  the 
dose  of  Buchanan's  administration.  Oh,  for  a 
Washington,  Jackson,  or  Jefferson  to  throttle  the 
growing  monster,  rebellion,  before  it  could  gain 
dangerous  proportions! 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  ill  fitted  for  the  exalted 
place  he  held.  Never  did  a  man  have  a  greater 
opportunity  to  immortalize  himself  than  Buchan- 
an, but  he  failed  to  avail  himself  of  the  opportu- 
nity, and  his  name- is  the  insignia  of  weakness, 
while  his  memory  is  darkened  with  obloquy.  We 
suspect  that  in  after  years,  when  the  American 
people  have  had  time  to  cool  down,  it  will  be 
found  that  we  have  done  Mr.  Buchanan  an  in- 
justice. He  was  a  weak  man,  incapable  of  grasp- 
ing with  great  questions.  He  was  a  lawyer,  and 
a-  good  lawyer  too.  In  fact,  Mr.  Buchanan  was 
too  much  of  a  lawyer  to  be  a  good  practical  states- 
man.   He  depended  upon  precedents,  while  "  honest 

96 


MRS.    AXDERSOXS  RECRUIT.  97 

old  Abe  Lincoln"  depended  on  common  sense. 
While  Mr.  Buchanan  was  ransacking  the  law 
books  and  studying  the  constitution  for  some  legal 
escape  from  the  dilemma,  the  South  was  preparing 
and  arming  for  battle.  Had  Mr.  Buchanan  been 
a  farmer  in  youth,  instead  of  a  college  student; 
had  he  been  compelled  to  wrestle  with  the  world 
for  existence  in  early  life,  he  would  have  realized 
that  exigencies  arise  in  the  lives  of  nations  as  well 
as  people,  where  common  sense  counts  for  more 
than  law  or  precedent,  and  instead  of  burning  mid- 
night oil  to  see  if  there  were  any  way  in  the  con- 
stitution whereby  he  might  put  an  end  to  the 
trouble,  he  would  have  ordered  an  army  into 
South  Carolina,  and  nipped  the  rebellion  in  the 
bud,  by  arresting  the  ringleaders. 

Some  accuse  Mr.  Buchanan  of  being  a  traitor 
to  his  country,  but  I  would  prefer  to  place  a  man- 
tle of  charity  about  his  shoulders,  and  call  him 
"weak."  Mr.  Buchanan  was  a  native  of  a  free - 
labor  State,  and  had  never  lived  in  a  slave  State; 
so  he  could  hardly  have  been  in  sympathy  with 
them ;  but  he  was  surrounded  by  traitors  and  spies. 
He  trusted  men  who  hourly  betrayed  him.  John 
C.  Floyd,  his  secretary  of  war,  was  prostituting  his 
office  to  aid  the  enemies  of  his  country.  Howell 
Cobb,  the  secretary  of  the  treasury,  was  endeavor- 
ing by  every  possible  means  to  ruin  the  credit  of 
7 


98  UNION. 

the  government;  yet  in  the  beginning,  lie  trusted 
these  men  as  his  constitutional  advisers.  A  weak 
man  lil^e  Buchanan  could  not  do  otherwise  than 
he  did.  He  was  surrounded  by  public  and  secret 
foes  of  the  nation,  he  lived  in  an  atmosphere  of 
secession  and  unconsciously  breathed  it.  Many 
of  his  regular  army  officers,  such  as  Pillow,  Lee, 
and  others,  on  whom  he  depended,  were  secretly 
conspiring  to  aid  the  State  in  rebellion.  South 
Carolina,  at  a  quarter  before  one  o'clock,  Decem- 
ber 20,  18()0,  passed  the  following  ordinance  of 
secession : 

"  We,  the  people  of  th.e  State  of  South  Carolina, 
in  convention  assembled,  do  declare  and  ordain, 
and  it  is  hereby  declared  and  ordained,  that  the 
ordinance  adopted  by  us  in  convention,  on  the  23d 
day  of  May,  in  the  3'ear  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-eight,  whereby  the  con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  was  ratified,  and 
also  all  acts  and  parts  of  acts  of  the  general  assem- 
bly of  the  State,  ratifying  amendments  of  the  said 
constitution,  are  hereby  repealed,  and  the  union 
now  subsisting  between  South  Carolina  and  other 
States  of  America,  is  hereby  dissolved." 

The  cry  at  once  went  forth,  "  The  Union  is  dis- 
solved!" It  was  echoed  and  re-echoed  in  the 
streets  of  Charleston,  and  hurried  on  the  wings  of 
lightning   all  over  the   republic.      The   people  in 


3IRS.    ANDERSON'S  RECRUIT.  99 

Charleston  were  wild  with  excitement.  All  busi- 
ness was  suspended  and  liuzzas  for  "  Southern  Con- 
federacy" filled  the  air.  Women  appeared  in  the 
streets  with  secession  bonnets,  the  invention  of  a 
northern  milliner  in  Charleston.  Flags  waved; 
church-bells  pealed  merrily,  and  cannon  boomed ; 
and  some  enthusiastic  young  men  went  to  the 
grave  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  in  St.  Philip's  church- 
yard and,  forming  a  circle  around  it,  made  a  sol- 
enm  vow  to  devote  their  "  lives,  their  fortunes, 
and  their  sacred  honor,  to  the  cause  of  South 
Carolina  independence."  A  drunken  rabble  ran 
through  the  streets  crying,  "  The  old  union  is  gone 
toh— 1." 

Before  night,  the  ordinance  of  secession  was  en- 
grossed on  a  sheet  of  parchment;  and  at  the  ap- 
pointed time,  in  the  evening,  Institute  Hall  was 
crowded  with  eager  spectators  to  witness  the  sign- 
ing of  the  instrument.  Back  of  the  president's 
chair  was  suspended  a  banner  of  cotton  cloth,  on 
which  was  painted  a  significant  device.  At  the 
bottom  was  a  mass  of  broken  and  discolored  blocks 
of  hewn  stone,  on  each  of  which  were  the  name 
and  arms  of  a  free-labor  State.  Kising  from  this 
mass  were  two  columns  made  of  perfect  blocks  of 
stone,  each  bearing  the  name  and  arms  of  a  slave- 
labor  State.  The  keystone  of  an  arch  that  crowned 
the  two  columns  had  the  name  and  arms  of  South 


100  UNION. 

Carolina  upon  it,  and  it  bore  tlie  figure  of  Cal- 
houn. In  the  space  between  the  columns  was  a 
palmetto  tree,  with  a  rattlesnake  coiled  around  its 
trunk,  and  on  a  ribbon  the  words,  "  Southern 
Republic."  Beneath  all,  in  large  letters,  were  the 
significant  words,  "  Built  from  the  ruins. ''^ 

As  time  went  on,  and  other  States  either  passed 
articles  of  secession,  or  sent  South  Carolina  assur- 
ances that  they  would  enter  into  a  confederacy  for 
the  destruction  of  the  Union,  Charleston  harbor 
became  the  theatre  of  stirring  events.  John  B. 
Floyd,  Buchanan's  treacherous  secretary  of  war, 
was  secretly  weakening  the  physical  power  of  the 
government  by  stripping  the  arsenals  of  the  North 
of  their  arms  and  ammunition,  and  strengthening 
the  secessionists  by  filling  the  arsenals  of  the  South 
with  an  abundance  of  weapons.  He  paid  no  at- 
tention to  the  words  of  General  Winfield  Scott, 
the  chief  of  the  arm}^,  when,  so  early  as  the  end 
of  October,  he  observed  signs  of  incipient  insur- 
rection in  South  Carolina,  and  recommended  the 
strengthening  of  the  forts  near  Charleston.  And 
when,  at  the  close  of  the  same  month,  Colonel 
Gardener,  in  command  of  the  fortifications  near 
that  city,  attempted  to  increase  his  supply  of  am- 
munition, Floyd  removed  him,  and  in  November 
placed  Major  Eobert  Anderson,  a  meritorious 
officer  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  in  his  place.      That 


MRS.    ANDERSON'S  RECRUIT.  101 

loyal  Kentuckian  surprised  and  disappointed  Floyd. 
Perceiving  at  once  by  various  acts,  the  designs  of 
the  secessionists  to  seize  the  fortifications  in  the 
harbor,  he  urged  his  government  to  strengthen 
them  with  men  and  munitions  of  war,  especially 
Fort  Moultrie,  in  which  there  was  but  a  feeble 
garrison ;  but  his  constant  yearnings  were  unheeded, 
even  when  he  wrote: 

"  The  clouds  are  threatening,  and  the  storm  may 
burst  at  any  moment.  J  need  not  say  to  you  how 
anxious  I  am,  indeed  determined,  so  far  as  honor 
will  permit,  to  avoid  collision  with  the  people  of 
South  Carolina.  Nothing  will,  however,  be  better 
calculated  to  prevent  bloodshed,  than  our  being 
found  in  such  an  attitude  that  it  would  be  madness 
and  folly  to  attack  us. " 

He  continually  urged  the  war  department  to 
give  him  more  strength,  and  send  him  explicit  in- 
structions; and  when  he  found  his  warnings  treated 
with  contemptuous  silence,  he  wrote: 

"  Unless  otherwise  directed,  I  shall  make  future 
communications  through  the  regular  channel — the 
general-in-chief."  Little  did  Major  Anderson 
dream  that  he  was  addressing  an  enemy  of  his 
country. 

The  secretary  of  war  found  Major  Anderson  too 
loj'al  for  his  purpose ;  but  it  was  too  late  to  displace 
him,  so  he  left  him  to  his  own  feeble  resources, 


102  UNION. 

satisfied  that  the  military  companies  then  in  proc- 
ess of  organization  in  South  Carolina  would  be 
able  to  seize  the  forts  of  Charleston  harbor  in  good 
time.  Moultrie  was  weak,  and  many  of  the  little 
garrison  in  Sumter  were  known  to  be  disloyal. 
The  latter  fort  was  by  far  the  stronger  and  more 
important  work;  and  as  evidence  hourly  increased, 
especially  after  the  passage  of  the  ordinance  of 
secession,  that  the  South  Carolinians  intended  to 
seize  Fort  Sumter,  Anderson  being  commander 
of  all  the  forts  in  the  harbor,  resolved  to  transfer 
the  garrison  of  Fort  Moultrie  to  Sumter.  It  was 
a  delicate  undertaking,  for  the  secessionists  had 
watch-boats  out  upon  the  waters.  Of  course  he 
did  not  entrust  his  secret  to  the  secretary  of  war, 
for  Floyd  was  even  then  supplying  the  Confeder- 
ates with  arms  at  the  expense  of  the  govern- 
ment. 

Only  three  or  four  of  Major  Anderson's  most 
trusted  officers  were  aware  of  his  intentions.  He 
resorted  to  a  stratagem  to  get  the  women  and  chil- 
dren into  Fort  Sumter  first.  They  were  taken 
in  a  vessel,  with  ample  provisions,  to  Fort  Johnson 
on  James  Island,  where,  under  pretext  of  difficulty 
in  finding  quarters  for  them,  they  were  detained 
on  board  until  evening.  Three  guns  fired  at  Fort 
Moultrie  were  to  be  the  signal  for  immediately 
consigning   them    to   Fort    Sumter.      The    move- 


MRS.    ANDERSON'S  RECRUIT.  103 

ment  was  regarded  by  the  people  of  Charleston  as 
a  natural  and  prudent  measure  of  Anderson,  who, 
they  knew,  believed  they  were  about  to  attack 
Fort  Moultrie,  and  so  all  suspicion  was  allayed. 

The  sun  had  set;  an  almost  full-orbed  moon 
was  shining  brightly,  when  the  greater  portion  of 
the  little  garrison  of  Moultrie  embarked  for  Sum- 
ter. The  three  guns  were  fired ;  the  women  and 
children  were  quickly  taken  from  before  Fort 
Johnson  to  Sumter,  and  the  movement  was  suc- 
cessful. Two  or  three  officers  remained  at  Fort 
Moultrie  to  spike  the  guns,  and  cut  down  the  flag- 
staff, that  no  secession  banner  might  float  from  the 
peak  from  which  the  national  flag  had  so  long 
fluttered.  When  the  soldiers  and  their  families, 
with  many  weeks'  provisions,  were  safely  within 
the  granite  walls  of  Fort  Sumter,  Major  Anderson 
wrote  to  the  secretary  of  war: 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  I  have  just 
completed,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  the  removal  to 
this  fort,  of  all  my  garrison,  except  the  surgeon, 
four  North  Carolina  officers  and  seven  men." 

Floyd  had  already  received  intelligence  of  the 
act  by  a  telegram  from  the  Confederates,  and  he 
was  enraged  that  his  plans  to  entrap  Anderson  had 
failed.  Governor  Pickens  sent  a  boat  to  Sumter 
with  a  demand  to  Major  Anderson  to  ev^acuate  the 
fort  and  return  to  Moultrie.      This  he  courteously, 


104  UNION. 

yet  firmly  refused  to  do,  and  he  was  denounced  as 
a  traitor  to  the  South. 

Floyd  sought  to  have  Anderson  removed ;  but 
Buchanan  refused  to  do  so,  and  Floyd  left  the 
cabinet  in  a  huff,  and  was  succeeded  by  Joseph 
Holt,  a  loyal  Kentuckian,  who  wrote  to  Major 
Anderson  that  his  movement  in  transferring  the 
garrison  from  Moultrie  to  Sumter,  "  was  in  every 
way  admirable,  alike  for  its  humanity  and  patriot- 
ism, as  for  its  soldiership." 

Major  Anderson's  cause  was  approved  by  loyal 
people  everywhere,  for  they  saw  in  it  nothing  but 
wisdom  and  patriotism ;  but  Major  Anderson  and 
his  little  band  of  soldiers,  were  in  extreme  peril 
from  the  hour  when  they  entered  Fort  Sumter. 
His  friends  knew  that  he  was  exposed  to  treachery 
within  and  foes  without,  and  all  were  anxious. 

Mark  Stevens,  one  of  the  characters  of  this 
story,  was  an  acquaintance  of  Major  Anderson. 
His  brother  Arthur  had  served  with  Anderson  in 
the  Mexican  war,  and  the  strong  friendship  which 
sprang  up  between  the  two  soldiers,  was  kept  up 
after  Arthur,  the  volunteer,  was  discharged. 

While  Major  Anderson  was  transferring  his 
forces  from  one  fort  to  another,  and  undergoing 
trials  of  patience  and  temper  almost  unendurable, 
Arthur  was  on  his  way  by  rail  to  New  York  city. 

He  had  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  political 


3IRS.    ANDERSON'S  RECRUIT.  105 

situation.  Mark  had  been  in  Charleston  during  the 
autumn  and  witnessed  something  of  the  excitement. 
He  had  heard  the  most  inflammatory  speeches 
of  the  "  fire-eaters"  with  cabmiess;  yet  every  word 
they  uttered  was  sophistry  and  fallacy  to  him  ;  but 
Mark  kept  a  close  mouth,  for  he  had  many  friends 
in  Charleston.  Elsie  Cole  was  still  the  great  ob- 
ject of  attraction  to  him.  He  loved  Elsie  desper- 
ately, though  no  avowal  had  as  yet  passed  his  lips. 
Mark  was  a  mystery  to  all  who  knew  him.  Alec, 
an  unfavored  suitor  for  Elsie's  hand,  often  asked 
himself  why  Mark  did  not  propose.  He  was  sure 
all  was  clear  sailing. 

Mark  reached  New  York  and,  having  transacted 
his  business,  was  almost  ready  to  go  home,  when 
one  day,  boarding  the  uptown  stage,  he  saw  sitting 
opposite  him,  a  pale,  small  lady,  whom  he  thought 
he  had  seen  before.  He  noticed  that  her  gaze  was 
fixed  upon  him,  and  a  half  smile  of  recognition 
started  two  or  three  times  upon  her  face,  but  faded 
away,  as  if  in  doubt. 

"  Who  the  deuce  is  she?"  he  asked  himself 
again  and  again.  He  tried  to  look  out  of  the  stage 
window  on  the  busy  throngs  hurrying  along  Broad- 
way; but  he  found  his  glance  again  and  again  re- 
verting to  the  little  pale  lady.  They  had  gone 
several  blocks  before  he  finally  determined  to 
know  who  she  was. 


106  UNION. 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  be  said  polite]}^,  bowing  to  tbe 
unknown ;  "  it  may  seem  rude  in  me ;  but  I  have 
surely  seen  you  before.  Are  3'ou  not  from  Ken- 
tucky?" 

"  I  am,  and  you  are  Mr.  Stevens,  are  you  not?" 
she  asked. 

•"  I  am  Mark  Stevens.  " 

"  I  thought  you  must  be  one  of  the  boys,  as  I 
recognized  a  family  resemljlance. " 

"  May  I  make  so  bold  as  to  ask  your  name?" 

"  Anderson." 

"  I  knew  Major  Anderson;  are  j-ou  his  wife?" 

"  Yes,  sir. " 

Mark  shook  her  hand,  and  she,  recognizing  in 
him  a  friend  and  acquaintance,  made  room  for  him 
at  her  side.  They  had  attracted  some  attention 
from  the  people  in  the  stage;  but  Mark  paid  no 
heed  to  the  other  passengers. 

"  Mrs.  Anderson,  is  your  husband  still  in  the 
South?" 

"  Yes,  sir;  he  is  in  Charleston." 

"Charleston?  why,  it  is  thought  that  the  first 
blow  will  be  struck  in  Charleston." 

"  Yes ;  I  have  great  fears ;  but, "  she  added  in  a 
low  tone,  "  let  us  not  talk  here.  It  is  too  public. 
Will  you  come  to  my  house?  I  want  to  consult 
with  you." 

"  Where  do  you  live?"  he  asked. 


3IRS.    ANDERSON'S  RECRUIT.  107 

Slie  hastily  wrote  lier  address  on  a  card  and 
handed  it  to  him. 

"  When  shall  I  call?"  he  asked. 

"  Any  time  this  evening.  I  need  your  counsel, 
and  must  talk  with  you.      Be  sure  and  come." 

He  promised,  and  she  motioned  for  him  to  pull 
the  strap  and  stop  the  stage.  Mark  did  so,  and 
the  brave  little  woman  got  out.  He  rode  two 
blocks  further,  then  alighted  from  the  vehicle  and 
went  to  a  public  house,  where  he  ordered  a  meal. 
After  supper  he  called  on  Mrs.  Anderson. 

The  little  lady  was  pale  but  calm.  She  was  an 
invalid  and  certainly  the  last  person  one  would 
expect  to  engage  in  a  hazardous  enterprise.  Mrs. 
Anderson  was  the  daughter  of  General  Clinch  of 
Georgia,  and  a  more  devoted  wife,  or  a  more  pa- 
triotic woman  never  lived.  Mark  found  her  sur- 
rounded by  her  children  whom  she  was  endeavoring 
to  amuse. 

She  warmly  greeted  the  young  man,  and  asked 
about  his  father  and  mother  and  the  remainder  of 
the  family,  especially  his  brother  Arthur,  who  had 
married  a  Spanish  lady.  He  told  her  that  Arthur 
had  gone  to  Mexico  to  live.  His  father-in  daw, 
Senor  Kodrigo  Estevan,  had  died  leaving  a  vast 
fortune  to  be  divided  between  his  son  and  daughter. 

"  He  has  left  in  time  to  escape  a  terrible  war, 
Mr.  Stevens." 


108  UNION. 

"  Do  you  think  there  will  reall}^  be  war?" 

"Undoubtedly!" 

"  I  hope  not ;  yet  I  am  willing  to  do  all  I  can 
for  my  country's  cause,  if  it  comes  to  blows,"  he 
said. 

"  I  want  your  assistance,  Mr.  Stevens." 

"  You  can  have  it  in  anytliing,  Mrs.  Anderson." 

"  I  have  resolved  to  go  to  my  husband." 

"  And  you  want  me  to  accompany  you?  I  will 
do  it,"  said  Mark,  as  hope  of  meeting  Elsie  once 
more  rose  in  his  mind.  There  was  an  impassable 
barrier  between  him  and  Elsie,  yet  it  was  so 
pleasant  to  be  with  her,  to  gaze  on  her  face  and 
listen  to  the  music  of  her  voice,  that  he  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  though  it  seemed  a  sin  to 
think  of  her.  To  him  that  voice  was  the  unfor- 
gotten  music  of  some  delightful  dream  recalled  in 
after  years. 

Mrs.  Anderson  dispelled  his  pleasant  delusion 
by  saying : 

"  I  did  not  send  for  you  with  that  design,  Mr. 
Stevens;  but  there  is  a  man  in  this  town  who  was 
a  sergeant  under  my  husband  in  Mexico.  I  want 
to  find  him." 

"  What  is  his  name?" 

"  Peter  Hart.  He  is  brave,  faithful  and  shrewd, 
perfectly  devoted  to  my  husband,  and  I  want  to 
take  him  to  Major  Anderson." 


MRS.    ANDERSON'S  RECRUIT.  109 

"  Have  you  seen  this  Peter  Hart  since  you  came 
to  the  city?" 

"  No,  sir,  nor  have  I  communicated  with  him 
in  any  way;  but  to-day  I  incidentally  learned  that 
there  was  a  man  named  Peter  Hart  on  the  police 
force. " 

"  If  that  be  true,  it  will  be  the  easiest  matter 
possible  to  find  him.  " 

"  Yet  you  will  have  to  exercise  some  caution, 
Mr.  Stevens,  for  New  York  is  not  entirely  free 
from  traitors.  If  they  should  learn  that  I  was 
preparing  to  visit  ray  husband,  I  would  in  all 
probability  be  prevented. " 

"  Leave  the  matter  of  finding  Peter  Hart  to  me, 
Mrs.  Anderson.  I  will  manage  it  so  carefully, 
that  should  it  turn  out  to  be  some  other  Peter 
Hart  than  the  one  you  want,  he  shall  not  suspect 
why  I  want  him." 

Next  day  Mark  went  to  the  chief  of  police  and 
inquired  if  there  was  a  man  on  the  force  named 
Peter  Hart.  There  was.  Was  he  an  Irishman? 
That  was  his  nationality,  the  l)ald-headed  clerk 
answered.  Next  Mark  asked  if  he  could  see 
officer  Hart.  When  he  was  off  duty,  he  could, 
and  he  took  the  policeman's  address  and  went  to 
look  him  up  as  soon  as  he  was  at  liberty. 

To  his  ring  at  the  door  of  the  small  house,  a 
stout  Irish  woman  appeared.     Was  this  the  home 


110  UNION. 

of  Mr.  Hart?  "  To  be  sure  it  was. "  Was  he  in? 
He  was,  the  Hibernian  female  answered.  Could 
Mark  see  him?  "Indade,"  he  could,  and  then 
she  called,  "  Paythur,  here's  a  gintleman  as  wants 
to  see  ye." 

Peter  Hart  appeared  in  the  hall,  and  Mark  ex- 
pressed a  wish  to  ask  him  some  questions,  and  the 
policeman,  supposing  that  he  had  some  grievance 
to  lay  before  him,  suggested  that  he  had  better  go 
to  the  station. 

"But  this  concerns  you  personally,  Peter,"  said 
Mark.  "  Do  you  know  Major  Eobert  Ander- 
son?" 

"  Do  I  know  the  major?  why,  sir,  I  know  him 
as  well  as  me  own  wife  Maggie.  I  was  his  ser- 
geant when  we  fit  the  Mexicans. " 

"  Then  you  are  acquainted  with  his  wife?" 

"  Know  her  like  a  book." 

"  She  wants  to  see  you,  Peter,  on  some  very 
important  business. " 

"  Faith,  I'll  go  at  once,"  Peter  declared. 

That  evening,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  Peter 
Hart  called  on  Mrs.  Anderson.  The  meeting  was 
very  cordial  and  friendly. 

"  I  have  sent  for  you,  to  ask  you  to  do  me  a 
favor,"  said  Mrs.  Anderson. 

"Anything  Mrs.  Anderson  wishes,  I  will  do," 
was  Hart's  prompt  reply. 


3IRS.    AyDERSON'S  RECRUIT.  Ill 

"  But  it  may  be  more  tlian  you  imagine,"  added 
Mrs.  Anderson. 

"Anything  Mrs.  Anderson  wishes,"  the  brave 
fellow  declared. 

"  I  want  you  to  go  with  me  to  Fort  Sumter. " 

Peter  looked  at  his  wife  a  moment,  and  promptly 
responded:    "  I  will  go,  madam." 

Then  the  earnest  woman  added : 

"  But,  Hart,  I  want  you  to  stay  with  the  major; 
you  will  have  to  leave  your  family  and  give  up  a 
good  situation. " 

Again  Hart  looked  at  his  wife  and,  receiving  an 
assenting  glance,  replied: 

"  I  will  go,  madam  !" 

Mrs.  Anderson,  not  willing  to  take  away  the 
husband  without  his  wife's  consent,  turned  to  Mrs. 
Hart  and  asked: 

"  But,  Maggie,  what  do  you  say?" 

"  Indade,  ma'am,  an'  it's  Maggie's  sorry  she 
can't  do  as  much  for  you  as  Paythur  can,"  was 
the  reply  of  the  warm-hearted  woman. 

"  Then,  Peter,  be  ready  to  start  in  twenty -four 
hours,"  said  Mrs.  Anderson. 

Mark  interposed  a  mild  remonstrance. 

"  Mrs.  Anderson,  will  you  be  strong  enough?" 

"  I  must  be  strong  enough." 

"  Do  3^ou  make  this  journey  with  the  advice  of 
your  physicians?" 


113  UNION. 

"I  do  it  against  their  advice,"  she  declared; 
"  but  Robert  is  there  peaned  up  in  the  fort.  I 
must  see  him;  he  needs  Peter  Hart's  aid,  and  he 
shall  have  it. " 

Mark  Stevens  decided  to  accompany  them  to 
Charleston,  for  he  wished  to  see  Elsie  once  more 
before  the  chasm  between  them  widened  into  im- 
passibility. 

Twenty-four  hours  later,  Mrs.  Anderson,  con- 
trary to  the  advice  of  her  physicians,  started  by 
railwa}^  for  Charleston,  accompanied  by  Peter 
Hart  in  the  capacity  of  a  servant,  and  Mark  Stevens 
as  friend  and  protector. 

As  the  train  thundered  along  the  iron  rails, 
Mark  Stevens,  who  occupied  the  seat  behind  Mrs. 
Anderson,  leaned  his  head  against  the  cushion 
and,  closing  his  eyes,  tried  to  sleep;  but  strange 
fancies  came  into  his  head  and  drove  slumber 
away.-  Why  was  he  making  this  journey  ?  In  one 
sense  it  was  a  crime  to  even  think  of  Elsie  Cole. 
When  he  remembered  his  relative,  the  tender- 
hearted Alec,  desperately  in  love  with  Elsie,  and 
yet  willing  for  his  friend's  sake  to  yield  her  to 
him,  Mark  thought  himself  the  greatest  villain  on 
earth.  He  had  played  the  traditional  dog  in  the 
manger;  but  even  with  the  knowledge  of  how  he 
had  wronged  poor  Alec,  he  seemed  drawn  by  some 
irresistible  force  to  further  crimes  for  which   he 


MRS.    ANDERSOX'S  RECRUIT.  113 

despised  himself.  This  journey  could  only  result 
in  additional  misery,  yet  he  could  not  forego  it. 

"  No,  no, "  his  weaker  self  seemed  to  plead  with 
his  better  self,  "  let  me  go  and  bask  in  the  sun- 
light of  those  bright  blue  eyes  once  more ;  let  me 
hear  the  music  of  that  voice  again ;  let  me  dream 
just  a  little  longer,  then  I  will  awake  and  shake  off 
this  guilty  vision.  It  is  so  sweet  to  dream  on, 
that  I  cannot  awake  just  yet. " 

Self  condemnation,  the  ruin  to  which  he  was 
rushing,  the  misery  he  was  entailing,  not  only  for 
himself  but  for  the  being  who  had  for  months  been 
the  bright  vision  of  his  fancy,  could  not  drive  the 
subject  from  his  mind.  Mark  was  selfish  even 
against  his  own  interests.  For  the  pleasure  of  a  few 
days  he  would  endanger  life,  honor  and  happiness. 

It  is  ever  thus.  Pleasure  is  always  deceptive, 
so  alluring  that  one  runs  great  risks  to  enjoy  the 
present.  Mark  had  always  been  a  dreamer,  and 
as  he  lay  back  in  his  seat,  he  seemed  to  mingle 
the  present,  past  and  the  impenetrable  future  into 
one  glorious  picture  the  central  figure  of  which 
was  Elsie  Cole. 

As  the  train  thundered  on,  the  sullen  roar 
seemed  a  lullaby  to  Mark's  waking  senses.  He 
slept;  he  dreamed.  As  usual,  the  vision  of  his 
dreams  was  a  fairy-like  creature.  She  seemed  an 
angel  hovering  over  him  with  the  sweetest  smiles. 


114  UNION. 

On  either  side  of  her  were  two  dark  clouds,  on  one 
of  which  was  painted  the  past,  on  the  other  the 
future.  She  wore  sweet,  entrancing  smiles  and 
whispered  peace  to  his  soul.  That  dread,  that 
long  doubt  of  years  was  removed  by  a  single 
whisper,  and  he  clasped  her  in  his  arms.  Impara- 
dised  in  a  vision  of  glory,  he  seemed  wafted  from 
the  world  to  happiness  unknown  to  mortals  on 
earth ;  but  such  joys  are  always  delusive.  He 
awoke  to  find  himself  on  the  train,  still  thundering 
southward  on  a  doubtful  mission. 

According  to  authentic  history,  from  Thursday 
night,  the  time  of  her  departure,  until  Sunday 
morning,  when  she  arrived  at  Fort  Sumter,  Mrs. 
Anderson  neither  ate,  drank  nor  slept.  When  they 
reached  the  State  of  Virginia,  her  ears  were  con- 
stantly greeted  with  curses  and  threats  of  violence 
against  her  husband. 

"  Old  Bob  Anderson  at  Sumter  won't  surren- 
der to  General  Beauregard,"  said  one  of  the  Vir- 
ginians, who  had  but  just  come  aboard  the  train. 
"D — n  him  for  a  traitor!  We'll  hang  him  when 
we  get  him." 

"  That  we  will,"  another  declared. 

The  pale  little  woman  shuddered  as  these  words 
fell  on  her  ears;  but  she  did  not  allow  them  to 
suspect  that  she  was  the  wife  of  Major  Anderson, 
whom  they  were  maligning  and  slandering. 


"1  HAVK  BROUGHT  YOC  PeTER  HaRT,  '   SUK  SAID. 


116  UNION. 

"  Anderson  is  a  southern  man,"  said  one.  "  He 
was  born  in  Kentucky  and  is,  or  has  been  a  slave- 
holder.     Why  does  he  cling  to  the  Union?" 

"  Oh,  it's  some  false  notion  of  duty  to  the 
nation." 

"  Well,  that  false  notion  of  his  may  stretch  his 
neck." 

She  had  difficulty  at  times  to  suppress  her  rising 
indignation ;  but  she  controlled  herself,  and  the 
train  thundered  on.  She  gained  considerable  in- 
formation which  was  valuable  to  her  husband,  for 
the  Confedei'ates  talked  quite  freel3^  Having 
reached  Charleston,  on  Sunday  morning,  after 
some  difficulty  she  procured  permission  to  visit 
Fort  Sumter  with  Peter  Hart.  As  the  little  boat 
touched  the  wharf  of  the  fortress  near  the  sally- 
port, and  the  name  of  Mrs.  Anderson  was  announced 
to  the  sentry,  the  major,  informed  of  her  presence, 
rushed  out  and  clasped  her  in  his  arms  with  the 
exclamation  in  a  vehement  whisper,  intended  for 
her  ears  only : 

"  My  glorious  wife!" 

"I  have  brought  you  Peter  Hart,"  she  said.. 
"  The  children  are  well ;  I  return  to-night.  " 

She  then  partook  of  some  refreshments,  and 
after  resting  a  few  hours,  returned  to  New  York, 
wliere  she  was  for  a  long  time  threatened  with 
brain  fever,  the  result  of  excitement  and  her  long, 


MRS.    ANDERSON'S  RECRUIT.  117 

toilsome  journey.  This. devoted  wife  and  patriotic 
little  woman,  had  given  her  husband  a  most  faith- 
ful friend  and  assistant  under  all  circumstances,  in 
the  fort,  during  the  three  months  of  severe  trial 
that  ensued.  She  had  done  what  the  government 
would  not  or  could  not  do, — not  sent  but  taken  a 
most  valuable  reinforcement  to  Fort  Sumter.  A 
recruit,  as  history  shows,  that  saved  the  fort  from 
burning  two  or  three  times  during  the  siege. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

MARK    AND    ELSIE. 

The  suburban  home  of  Mr.  Henry  Cole,  father 
of  Elsie,  was  a  neat  cottage  of  the  familiar  south- 
ern type,  which  nestled  near  the  bosom  of  a  grove 
of  sweet  gum  and  pine  trees,  in  a  little  village 
about  three  miles  from  Charleston.  In  the  grove 
sang  a  mocking-bird  family.  Around  the  house 
were  a  few  acres  of  ground,  which  were  carefully 
cultivated.  In  one  corner  grazed  a  group  of  beau- 
tiful Minerva-eyed  Jerseys.  At  one  side  of  the 
house,  hives  of  bees  were  placed  near  a  flower  gar- 
den, sloping  down  to  the  street,  which  passed  in 
front  of  the  house  several  rods  distant.  At  the 
foot  of  the  hill  was  a  bubbling  spring,  whose 
sparkling  waters  supplied  the  needs  of  the  house- 
hold. A  superb  English  mastiff  eyed  with  digni- 
fied glance  the  casual  visitor,  whose  coming  was 
apt  to  be  announced  by  the  bark  of  two  of  the 
finest  dogs  in  the  country ;  one  a  Newfoundland, 
and  the  other  a  white  English  bull-terrier.  The 
interior  of  the  cottage  was  simple  and  unassuming. 
118 


MARK  AND  ELSIE.  119 

Bric-a-brac  and  trumpery  "  articles  of  bigotry  and 
virtue"  were  wanting.  The  places  tbey  usually 
occupy  were  taken  up  with  wide  windows  and 
generous  hearths.  There  was  a  library  of  choice 
books  in  the  house,  for  Mr.  Cole  was  not  only  one 
of  the  leading  lawyers  of  Charleston,  but  a  man  of 
considerable  literary  attainments ;  but  this  summer 
cottage,  as  he  called  it,  was  neither  a  library,  a 
museum,  nor  an  art  gallery,  but  a  delightful  home. 
He  had  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  One  son  was 
an  oflicer  in  the  army;  one  had  graduated  in  the 
naval  academy  and  was  in  England  on  business; 
while  his  daughter,  the  peerless  Elsie,  was  at 
home.  She  was  the  idol  of  her  parents,  and,  had 
she  not  possessed  remarkably  good  sense,  would 
have  been  spoiled.  Mr.  Cole  was  wealthy  and  in- 
fluential. He  not  only  enjoyed  a  very  lucrative 
practice,  but  owned  half  a  dozen  cotton  and  rice 
plantations  and  several  hundred  slaves.  In  1860 
and  1861,  no  man  in  South  Carolina  was  better 
or  more  favorably  known  than  Henry  Cole.  He 
had  served  several  terms  in  the  State  Legislature, 
and  had  been  "  talked  of  for  congress.  "  While  Mr. 
Cole  was  decidedly  Southern  in  sentiment,  he 
lacked  that  peculiar  "  fire-eating,"  reckless  speech, 
necessary  to  make  him  popular.  He  was  conser- 
vative in  his  views,  and  when  it  came  to  the  dis- 
cussion   of    questions   of  secession,  he   counselled 


120  UNION. 

moderation.      In  a  speech  shortly  after  Lincoln's 
election  he  said: 

"  My  heart  is  with  South  Carolina,  for  her  des- 
tiny is  mine.  On  her  soil  I  was  born,  in  her  ter- 
ritory I  found  my  wife,  in  Charleston  my  children 
were  born,  and  I  love  my  dear  native  State  next 
to  my  God  and  family.  As  to  slavery,  an  institu- 
tion tolerated  since  the  Christian  era  began,  I  be- 
lieve it  must  be  right.  As  for  the  negro,  I  know 
his  condition  in  slavery  is  better  than  when  free. 
Give  him  his  freedom,  and  he  becomes  a  worthless, 
drunken  vagabond.  The  northern  people  envy 
our  wealth  and  prosperity,  which  they  see  consists 
in  slaves,  and  they  have  worked  up  their  sympa- 
thies for  the  downtrodden  African  race,  until  they 
believe  they  have  a  religious  cause  at  stake.  Some 
may  be  sincere;  but  the  masses  are  instigated  by 
envy.  Nevertheless,  felhnv  citizens,  they  dare 
not  touch  a  slave.  They  have  elected  Mr.  Lincoln 
president" — at  this  some  one  in  the  audience  cried, 
"Yes,  by  fraud" — ^"  T  am  not  sure  it  was  as 
much  Republican  fraud  as  Democratic  foil}-.  Had 
we  not  become  divided,  the  Republican  party 
would  have  dwindled  away,  the  craze  have  blown 
over,  and,  like  the  Know-Nothings,  the  Whigs 
and  Federalists,  the  Republicans  would  have 
quietly  passed  out  of  existence.  But  Mr.  Lin- 
coln has  been  elected;  let  us  give  him  a  chance. 


MARK  A^D  ELSIE.  121 

Let  him  take  his  seat.  If  he  breaks  the  constitu- 
tion, or  abrogates  the  decisions  of  the  supreme 
court,  then  we  can  easily  impeach  him. 

"  If  South  Carolina  does  secede,  I  will  go  with 
her :  but  I  warn  you  that  only  war  and  misery  can 
follow  such  an  act.  We  have  a  powerful  North 
with  unbounded  resources,  and  the  South  must  be 
the  battle-ground.  They  can  grow  up  and  import 
soldiers  faster  than  we  can  kill  them.  This  fair 
city,  these  lovely  plantations,  and  our  beautiful 
homes  will  be  ruins  ere  the  war  is  over;  and  the 
chances  are  that  humiliation,  defeat  and  the  loss 
of  every  slave  will  be  the  result. " 

Mr.  Cole's  remarks  were  greeted  with  hisses 
and  groans.  No  sooner  had  he  quit  the  stand, 
than  a  fiery  South  Carolinian  mounted  it  and  be- 
gan in  an  eloquent  wa}'  to  "'  show  up"  the  fallacy  and 
sophistry  of  his  remarks.  lie  asserted  that  if  they 
lay  supinely  on  their  backs  until  Lincoln  was 
seated,  and  had  their  hands  tied,  they  would  be 
powerless.  Let  Lincoln  once  get  in  control,  and 
the}'  would  find  an  armed  host  in  the  South,  and  tlie 
abolition  of  slavery  declared.  Better  be  cautious 
and,  as  Patrick  Henry  of  old  said,  resist  while  they 
could.  The  doctrines  of  the  immortal  Calhoun  had 
established  the  proof  of  State-supremacy  and  he 
who  was  not  with  South  Carolina  was  against  her. 
He  who  was  against  South  Carolina  was  a  traitor. 


122  UNION. 

Mr.  Cole  was  an  even-tempered  man,  and  did  not 
become  angry  at  the  tirade.  He  was  as  lo3'al  as 
the  speaker  before  him ;  but  he  foresaw  what  the 
inevitable  result  would  be,  if  war  should  follow. 

But  as  time  went  on,  and  as  the  southern  States, 
one  by  one  went  out,  and  formed  the  Southern 
Confederacy,  he  became  an  enthusiastic  supporter 
of  the  new  republic,  and  was  chosen  colonel  of  one 
of  the  provisional  regiments  which  had  been  organ- 
ized. He  displayed  as  much  military  genius  as  he 
hatl  legal  ability,  and  his  regiment  was  thoroughly 
equipped  and  well  drilled  long  before  the  shot  was 
fired  on  Fort  Sumter,  and  when  General  Beaure- 
gard came  to  Charleston  as  commander  of  the  Con- 
federate armies,  he  was  among  the  first  to  apply 
for  an  assignment. 

The  war  was  still  brewing.  Since  the  9th  of 
January,  1861,  when  Major  Stevens,  in  command 
of  a  Confederate  battery  on  Morris  Island,  fired  on 
the  Star  of  the  TFes^  sent  with  supj^lies  for  Fort 
Sumter,  and  drove  her  from  the  harbor,  all  had 
been  comparatively  at  peace,  though  drilling  and 
mustering  was  constantly  going  on,  and  all  prepa- 
rations were  being  made  for  war. 

It  was  near  the  close  of  day,  in  the  first  w^eek 
of  April,  which  in  that  semi-tropical  land  was  like 
summer,  that  pretty  Elsie  Cole  stood  at  the  gate 
gazing  down  the  broad  street,  which,  after  leaving 


MARK  AND  ELSIE.  123 

the  village,  gradually  became  a  country  turnpike. 
The  excitement  in  the  city  was  so  great,  that  Colo- 
nel Cole  had  removed  his  family  to  this  quiet 
nook,  where  they  might  for  awhile  be  free  from 
the  shock  of  war. 

Merry,  light-hearted  Elsie  had  little  thought  of 
the  coming  storm.  She  was  like  a  sunbeam,  dis- 
pelling gloom  wherever  she  went.  Some  who 
were  intimate  with  Elsie  thought  she  had  never 
known  a  sorrow,  or  that  no  cloud  had  ever  passed 
over  her  sky;  yet  there  were  times  when  she  was 
sad,  and  sighed  as  if  there  had  been  a  dark  period 
somewhere  in  her  life.  Those  melancholy  mo- 
ments came  when  she  was  alone.  On  this  CA^ening 
her  face  had  lost  some  of  its  sunlight.  Was  it 
because  her  brothers  were  away,  or  that  her  father 
was  in  danger? 

She  had  a  rose  in  her  hair,  and  as  she  stood 
leaning  against  the  gate  post  which  was  overgrown 
with  creeping  vines,  she  looked  the  very  picture 
of  loveliness. 

A  carriage  driven  at  a  brisk  pace  came  down 
the  quiet  street.  The  clattering  of  hoofs  and  roll 
of  wheels  first  attracted  her  attention,  and,  glanc- 
ing up,  she  discovered  that  the  negro  coachman 
was  driving  toward  the  gate.  Her  large  blue  eyes 
grew  round  with  wonder  as  the  door  was  thrown 
open,  and  a  young  man  leaped  from  the  vehicle. 


124  UNION. 

"Elsie!"  he  cried. 

"  Mr.  Stevens!   where  did  you  come  from?' 

For  a  moment  it  would  have  been  difficult  to 
tell  whether  she  was  more  astonished  than  de- 
lighted at  the  appearance  of  the  stranger.  In  the 
dimming  light  of  the  departing  day,  her  face 
flushed  to  the  hue  of  the  rose  in  her  hair. 

"  I  came  from  the  North,"  Mark  answered. 

"From  the  North,  and  dare  come  here?"  and 
she  tried  to  assume  a  haughty  expression,  but 
failed. 

"Yes,  Elsie;  I  must  come  and  see  you  once 
more,  before " 

"  Before  the  war  begins?" 

"  Yes;  for  it  now  seems  inevitable." 

"  Have  you  come  to  the  South  to  join  the  noble 
race  of  Stevens  who  have  sworn  to  die  for  their 
country?  It  was  like  a  Stevens  for  you  to  do  so. 
Your  name  can  claim  the  honor  of  firing  the  first 
gun  of  the  war.  It  was  Major  Stevens,  a  relative 
of  yours,  who  fired  the  first  shot  at  the  Siar  of  (he 
West.'' 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  discuss  the  war,"  said  Mark. 
"  Let  us  forget  the  past  and  cease  to  speculate  on 
the  future.  The  present  is  too  glorious  to  think 
of  either,  Elsie.  To  be  with  you,  to  hear  your 
voice,  to  gaze  into  your  eyes  is  a  joy  which  I 
would  not  have  alloyed  by  dread  for  the  future. " 


MARK  AND  ELSIE.  125 

"Don't  be  sentimental,  Mr.  Stevens,"  said 
Elsie,  as  they  walked  toward  the  vine-clad  cottage. 

"  Then  let  us  talk  of  other  matters.  Where  is 
your  cousin  Dick?" 

"  He  is  in  England. " 

"When  did  he  sail?" 

"  A  few  weeks  ago. " 

"  I  suppose  he  will  return  soon?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"And  Clara?" 

"  Didn't  you  see  her  in  Charleston?" 

"  No. " 

"  Surely  3-ou  did  not  stop  long." 

"  Only  long  enough  to  change,  and  hire  a  coach 
to  bring  me  here.  " 

"  She  is  in  Charleston  and  would  have  been 
glad  to  see  you." 

There  was  a  beautiful  vine-clad  veranda  in  front 
of  the  house,  with  a  rustic  seat  on  which  she  asked 
him  to  be  seated.  The  twibght  hours  flew  bv  as 
silent  and  free  as  birds  on  the  wing.  The  sable 
cloak  of  night  pinned  with  millions  of  glittering 
stars,  had  already  been  flung  over  the  earth,  and 
the  disk  of  the  rising  moon  began  to  appear  over 
the  distant  city.  Tliere  is  a  charm  in  a  southern 
night,  with  all  its  voluptuousness,  that  seems  to 
enchant  one.  Those  who  have  experienced  an 
evening  in  South  Carolina  never  forget  it.    The 


126  UNION. 

balmy  breezes,  the  soft  southern  skies  and  the 
voluptuous  foliage  all  bespeak  richness,  splendor 
and  generosity.  But  the  South  is  not  now  what  it 
was  before  the  war.  Almost  thirty  3^ears  have 
not  sufficed  to  restore  the  ravages  and  devastation 
of  four  years. 

"Did  you  come  from  Kentucky?"  Elsie  asked, 
plucking  a  ffower. 

"  No,  not  direct.     I  came  from  New  York." 

"  I  read  in  the  paper  this  morning  that  Major 
Anderson's  wife  had  come.  I  hojie  she  will  per- 
suade him  into  surrendering." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  it  will  save  bloodshed. " 

"  Do  3'ou  believe  Beauregard  will  fire  on 
Sumter?" 

"  As  sure  as  the  world  moves.  The  people 
don't  like  the  actions  of  Anderson.  His  remov- 
ing his  troops  from  Fort  Moultrie  into  Fort  Sumter 
is  regarded  as  an  act  of  open  hostility. " 

"  But  was  it  not  prudent?" 

"If  he  expects  to  resist,  it  was:  but  he  sliould 
surrender  and  save  bloodshed. " 

Mark  had  it  on  his  lips  to  answer  that  it  was  his 
duty  as  a  soldier  to  defend  his  fort  as  long  as  he 
could;  but  he  refrained  from  saying  anything. 
He  could  not  find  it  in  his  heart  to  quarrel  with 
Elsie,    no    matter    how    much   they   might   differ. 


MARK  AND  ELSIE.  121 

After  several  moments'  silence  and  deliberation,  he 
said : 

"  Elsie,  I  have  come  to  i)ay  a  short  visit  to  my 
friends  in  Charleston,  more  to  you  than  to  any 
other.  I  will  not  discuss  the  present  political 
trouble.  Friendship  is  dearer  than  all,  Elsie,  and 
though  persons  may  differ  it  is  no  reason  they 
should  quarrel.  I  leave  soon,  perhaps  never  to 
return.  We  may  never  meet  again  on  earth;  let 
our  last  meeting  be  pleasant." 

She  assented,  and  both  being  sensible  agreed  to 
refrain  from  discussing  the  situation  at  all.  Mark 
remained  until  late.  Colonel  Cole  came  home  be- 
fore he  left  and  shook  the  hand  of  the  young  Ken- 
tuckian  warmly.  He  wore  the  uniform  of  his 
rank;  but  there  was  nothing  offensively  partisan 
in  his  conversation.  He  talked  of  the  coming 
trouble  as  a  matter  of  news,  and  seemed  to  regard 
it  more  as  a  calamity  than  a  blessing  to  the  South. 

Mark  met  Mrs.  Cole,  a  mild,  sweet  woman  of 
forty-five  or  fifty,  whose  cheek  was  furrowed  with 
care,  and  whose  hair  was  becoming  streaked  with 
gray.  Both  father  and  mother  joined  Elsie  in 
extending  a  warm  invitation  to  the  young  man  to 
return  every  day  during  his  stay.  He  accepted 
gladly.  In  fact,  had  they  forbidden  his  coming,  he 
could  not  have  refrained  from  doing  so. 

Next  day  he  was  standing  on  the  [)iazza  of  the 


128  UNION. 

city  hotel,  when  his  attention  was  drawn  to  a  fresh 
arrival,  consisting  of  a  spruce  rockaway  carriage 
drawn  by  a  fine  pair  of  spirited  horses,  which  were 
driven  by  a  self-possessed,  good-looking  young 
gentleman.  As  he  drew  up  at  the  door,  the  clerk, 
bar-tender,  porter,  hostler,  and  "  boots"  were  at 
the  side  of  his  carriage  in  a  jiffy,  obsequiously 
assisting  the  young  man  to  alight  and  bring  in  his 
baggage.  Giving  these  worthies  a  cool  survey,  as 
if  he  would  judge  by  their  appearance  whether  the 
remainder  of  the  establishment  occupied  a  satis- 
factory standard  of  respectability,  he  threw  the 
reins  to  the  colored  hostler  and  sprang  to  the 
ground.  Casting  a  rapid  glance  at  his  baggage  to 
see  that  all  was  right,  he  turned  upon  his  heel  and 
for  the  first  time  saw  Mark.  Fixing  his  eyes  upon 
him  for  a  moment,  he  made  a  rush  at  him,  and, 
grasping  his  hand  with  a  vigor  that  recalled  to 
Mark's  mind  all  he  had  ever  read  of  the  thumb 
screws  of  the  inquisition,  he  cried: 

"  How  are  you,  my  dear  fellow?  What?  don't 
know  me !  Well,  that's  a  good  joke,  as  sure  as  you 
are  my  old  friend  and  cousin  Mark  Stevens,  whom 
I  have  roomed  with,  ate  with  and  fought  with  for 
a  whole  year  and  a  half  at  Harvard.  Why,  you 
precious  old  muff!  Oho!  you  do  remember  me, 
do  you?" 

Mark  recotiiiized   him    at   ouce,  when    he  heard 


MARK  AND  ELSIE.  129 

his  voice.  It  was  his  chum  at  school,  Alexander 
Stevens,  his  cousin  and  rival. 

Though  a  few  months  had  made  quite  a  change, 
yet  he  could  now  recognize  in  the  newly  polished 
individual  before  him  the  harum-scarum,  devil- 
may-care  boy  of  school  days.  Before  he  had  time 
to  mumble  out  his  surprise.  Alec  in  his  roistering 
way  continued: 

"  But  come  in,  come  in !  I  must  get  the  dust 
out  of  my  oesophagus,  my  throat,  gullet,  or  what- 
ever you  have  a  mind  to  call  it.  Ah!"  said  he  as 
his  eye  caught  the  glitter  of  the  contents  of  the 
bar,  "  'is  this  a  dagger  which  I  see  before  me,  the 
handle  toward  my  hand?  Come,  let  me  clutch 
thee' — what'll  you  have,  mon  cher?  As  for  me, 
give  me  brandy  in  the  virgin  state,  I  thank  you. 
Water  is  very  good  for  navigable  purposes,  some 
one  says,  but  for  a  constant  beverage  give  me 
pony  brandy.  Come,  name  the  nectar.  Under 
what  disguise  will  you  imbibe  a  modicum  of  the 
invisible  spirit  of  wine?  If  you  are  not  familiar 
with  its  nomenclature,  call  it  a  cocktail,  hey!" 

Mark,  who  had  had  hardly  time  to  get  in  a  word 
edgeways  until  now,  managed  to  say  that  his 
habits,  religion  and  constitution  all  combined 
would  not  permit  his  taking  anything  stronger 
than  lemonade.  Alec  made  a  wry  face  and,  shiv- 
ering, declared  that  Mark  had  surel}-  become 
9 


130  UNION. 

■wholly  Yankeefied  in  the  last  few  months ;  but 
nevertheless  he  declared  that  he  was  willing  to 
allow  his  friend  to  indulge  his  whim  to  its  utmost 
on  this  their  first  meeting. 

Who  does  not  feel  his  heart  leap  with  joy  in 
meeting  such  a  friend  and  relative  as  Alec  Stevens? 
War,  storm,  and  disaster,  even  rivalry  in  love 
made  no  difference  with  him.  He  was  still  the 
rattle-headed  chatterbox,  possessed  of  a  gift  of 
word  and  an  endless  flow  of  language,  that  would 
run  Webster's  unabridged  dictionary  to  the  very 
last  syllable  every  day  in  the  year  if  enough  listen- 
ers could  be  obtained.  It  seemed  almost  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  desist,  when  he  had  fairly  com- 
menced talking,  and  should  he  be  fortunate  enough 
to  get  a  fellow  cornered  for  a  long  evening,  he 
would  inundate  him  with  conversation  and  be  in 
his  most  delightful  element. 

His  happiness  at  this  meeting  was  fully  recipro- 
cated by  Mark.  He  shook  hands  with  him  half 
a  dozen  times  within  twenty  minutes,  and  then 
they  could  be  content  with  doing  nothing  less  than 
joining  arms  as  they  walked  the  piazza,  reviewing 
the  cherished  reminiscences  of  their  first  acquaint- 
ance. He  insisted  so  stoutly  on  Mark's  taking 
dinner  with  him,  that  he  was  forced  to  do  so. 

"  You  see,  my  boy,  I  have  a  great  deal  to  sa}' 
to  you  and  a  very  limited  time  to  say  it  in,  as  the 


3IARK  AND  ELSIE.  131 

fiat  lias  gone  forth  that  I  depart  from  tliis  burg  in 
the  morning  at  precisely  ten  A.M.  There  sounds 
the  loud  hewgag.  Let  us  grub.  I  am  as  fero- 
cious as  a  vulture,  and  if  there  is  any  thing  in  this 
world  I  like  when  I  am  hungry,  it  is  victuals  and 
drink.      Come " 

At  the  stroke  of  the  gong,  they  joined  in  the 
general  rush  for  the  dining-room  door,  and  by  dint 
of  good  generalship  secured  seats  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  most  tempting  viands,  where,  after  they  became 
firmly  settled.  Alec  continued  his  conversation. 

"  It  is  barely  possible  you  may  have  some  curi- 
osity to  know  why  I  am  in  Charleston,  and  it  is 
also  quite  possible  that  you  may  guess,"  remarked 
Alec,  as  he  proceeded  to  make  use  of  the  best  of 
the  viands  placed  before  him.  "  You  might  guess 
that  I  was  an  ofiicer  recruiting  for  the  southern 
army,  or  on  some  secret  mission  from  Jefi^  Davis. " 

"  Aha!"  grunted  Mark,  his  mouth  full  of  beef- 
steak. 

"  But  I  am  not.  Then  again  you  might  think 
that  I  am  here  on  a  certain  love  affair  in  which  I 
am  so  unfortunate,  and  somebody  else  is  so  suc- 
cessful  " 

"  Ahem !  pass  the  biscuit,  please. " 

"  But  I  am  not, "  answered  Alec,  as  he  passed 
the  plate  of  biscuit  to  his  friend.  "  I  have  de- 
generated into  a  negro  hunter. " 


132  UNION. 

"  Why,  Alec,  I  thought  you  were  opposed  to 
the  traffic." 

"  Well,  on  general  principles  I  am ;  but  Aunt 
Aggy  is  old  and  weak.  She  is  not  long  for  this 
world.  Father  has  bought  her  children  one  by 
one  in  order  to  have  them  near  the  poor  old 
thing;  but  one  boy  named  Eph  for  a  long  time 
disappeared.  He  had  been  sold  to  a  rice  planter, 
and  we  did  not  know  where  he  was,  until  by  acci- 
dent we  learned  that  Eph  was  near  Charleston. 
Father,  with  his  great  heart  overflowing  with  sym- 
pathy, resolved  to  send  his  wayward  boy  with 
sufficient  of  the  filthy  lucre  to  purchase  Eph,  and 
take  him  home  wliere  he  might  make  glad  the 
kind  heart  of  his  mother." 

"  Your  mission  is  a  noble  one.  Alec, "  said 
Mark.      "  But  won't  you  stojD  on  your  return?" 

"  Why,  Mark,  do  you  want  me  to?" 

"  Of  course  I  do. " 

"  You  know  you  and  I  are  so  unfortunate  as  to 
both  love  the  same  girl " 

"  Don't  allow  that  to  interfere  with  our  friend- 
ship. " 

"  It  shall  not,  my  good  fellow,  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned.  Win  Elsie,  and  I  wish  you  much  jo}^, 
and  hope  you  won't  forget  me  when  it  comes  to 
naming  babies.  Again,  I  more  than  suspect  that 
this  big  rumpus  which  is  coming  on  will  find  us 


:\IARK  AXD   ELSIE.  133 

holding  different  opinions.  It  won't  affect  my 
friendship.      Nothing  wilL" 

"Alec,"  said  Marie,  grasping  his  friend's  hand, 
"  you  are  a  noble-hearted  fellow  and  ten  times 
more  of  a  man  than  I!" 

"Hush,  hush!  There  is  no  need  of  that.  I 
am  only  a  wild,  rattle-brained  fellow;  but  I  like 
you,  Mark;  I  can't  help  it.  You  always  have 
been  a  little  mysterious  to  me;  but  all  the  same  I 
like  you.  If  you  really  wish  me  to  stop  on  my 
way  back  I  will  do  so;  but,  Mark,  you  never 
loved  Elsie  more  than  I.  I  may  be  wrong,  for 
she  loves  you;  but  I  can't  help  it,  though  it 
makes  me  feel  like  a  fool." 

"  I  want  you  to  stop,  Alec,  and  stay  as  long  as 
I  do.  I  am  going  away,  and  I  feel  that  we  will 
not  meet  again  soon." 

Alec  declared  he  would  stop,  hoped  Mark  would 
not  grow  sentimental,  and  promised  if  he  could 
help  it,  not  to  interfere  with  him  and  Elsie. 

"  But,  Mark,  I  want  to  warn  you  to  go  in,  or  I 
shall  not  wait  always.  Win  that  girl,  you  can — I 
may  never  do  it;  but  as  sure  as  you  leave  Charles- 
ton without  having  popped  the  question,  I  will 
lay  siege.  Now  I  have  been  fair  with  you,  and 
given  you  a  clear  road  for  a  long  time.  If  you 
don't  take  advantage  of  it,  don't  blame  me." 

"I  won't." 


134  UNION. 

Mark  was  miserable  that  night  and  almost 
wished  he  was  dead.  While  unable  to  win  Elsie 
himself,  he  was  standing  between  the  best  man  in 
the  world,  and  the  truest  woman.  But  for  him, 
she  might  love  Alec,  and  to  him,  she  was  lost. 

Next  morning,  Mark  called  on  his  friend  after 
breakfast. 

"Aha!"  cried  Alec  in  a  loud,  cheery  voice. 
"Good  morning,  old  chap!  how  d'ye  feel  this 
morning?     Let's  go  and  get  a  cigar." 

They  adjourned  to  a  cigar  store,  in  front  of 
which  was  a  wooden  Indian,  to  procure  a  weed. 
The  man  behind  the  short,  dingy  counter  passed  a 
box  out  to  them,  and  Alec,  taking  one,  said: 

"  Here's  a  light.  Those  cigars  cost  about 
twenty-five  cents  a  hundred,  and  were  made  in 
Pennsylvania,  or  I  am  no  judge.  What  a  hum- 
bug !  Real  Havana !  They  have  the  poorest 
cigars  in  Charleston  imaginable.  Now,  this  roll 
of  leaves,  for  instance,  is  more  of  cabbage,  and 
less  of  nicotina.,  than  is  desirable.  I  am  exceed- 
ingly fond  of  savory  cauliflower,  broccoli  colewart 
h-aut-salaat,  and  other  plants  of  the  genus  Bras- 
sica,  but  then  I  don't  like  them  put  up  this  way, 
by  any  manner  of  means. " 

"  When  do  you  start.  Alec?" 

"  Within  an  hour  and  sixty  minutes,  my  cher- 
ished friend  and  cousin,  and  now,  by  the  way,  as 


MARK  AND  ELSIE.  135 

I  have  half  a  dozen  letters  to  post  and  wish  to  get 
twice  as  many,  let  us  go  to  the  post  office.  The 
carrier  does  not  know  me  well  enough  to  bring  the 
mail  to  me." 

Sauntering  leisurely  along  the  sunn}"  side  of  the 
street,  they  came  to  the  post  office,  and  Alec 
called  out  his  name.  One  was  handed  out  b}-  the 
putty-faced  individual  who  presided  within. 

"If  this  isn't  provoking!"  said  Alec.  "Only 
one  solitary  epistle,  when  I  expected  a  dozen  at 
least.  If  they  can't  keep  a  better  and  fuller 
assortment  of  this  kind  of  literature  on  hand,  I've 
a  mind  to  lease  a  room  across  the  street  and  start 
an  opposition  post  office,  where  I  will  supply  nice 
printed  letters  in  any  quantity  at  two  cents  apiece. " 

The  individual  who  glanced  lightning  at  Alec 
through  the  orifice  made  no  response.  Alec  re- 
marked that  the  envelope  was  a  dainty,  perfumed 
affair,  and  the  writing  in  a  neat,  feminine  hand. 
Opening  it,  he  cried: 

"  Hello,  what  is  this?  How  did  she  know  I 
was  here!  Why,  Mark,  here's  an  invitation  to  a 
ball  at  the  home  of  Major  Stevens,  my  uncle,  on 
the  evening  of  the  eleventh,  given  in  honor  of  the 
nineteenth  birthday  of  cousin  Clara.  Look  here, 
Mark,  I'll  bet  my  head  for  a  football,  there  is  one 
for  you.  Ask  that  hatchet-faced  Lord  Bj'ron,  if 
he  can't  treat  you  as  well  as  me." 


136  rxioN. 

Mark  did  so  and  found  a  similar  invitation  for 
himself.  This  made  Alec  more  determined  to  stop 
on  his  return.  "It  will  he  just  one  week,"  he 
said.  "  I  will  be  here  by  that  time  and  for  once 
we  will  shake  off  dull  care  and  enjoy  ourselves. 
I  will  buy  Eph  and  send  him  home  to  his  old 
mother,  with  the  horses  and  rockaway,  and  then  I 
can  go  home  by  rail." 

Alec  departed  at  the  time  agreed  upon,  and 
Mark  hastened  to  assure  his  cousin  he  would  be 
present  at  the  ball.  Most  of  the  intervening  time 
was  spent  with  Elsie,  and  Mark  was  a  score  of 
times  on  the  point  of  declaring  his  love,  but  from 
a  sense  of  right  refrained  from  doing  so.  They 
walked  and  rode  together,  sang  together,  played 
duets,  and  she  never  seemed  more  nearly  perfect. 
Sweet,  happy  days  were  those,  days  which  Mark 
to  the  hour  of  his  death  will  never  forget.  While 
all  about  him  was  a  furious  uprising,  wild  excite- 
ment, maddening  speeches,  the  marshalling  of  clans 
for  the  conflict,  he  was  living  a  life  of  bliss  and 
peace, — a  sweet  dream,  without  a  single  care. 
Oh,  that  such  a  lot  could  be  his,  forever,  though 
guilt  at  times  made  him  almost  hide  his  face  in 
shame. 

The  Confederacy  had  been  formed  out  of  the 
seceded  States,  and  on  February  9,  1861,  Jeffer- 
son Davis  and  Alexander  H.  Stevens  were  elected 


3IARK   AXD  ELSIE.  137 

president  and  vice-president  of  the  new  republic. 
Fort  after  fort  in  the  South  had  been  surrendered 
by  treacherous  commanders,  until  the  South  had 
almost  complete  control  of  the  principal  strong- 
holds in  that  territory.  E'loj^d  had  planned  and 
executed  matters  with  a  cunning  hand.  Southern 
congressmen  and  United  States  senators  were  re- 
signing their  seats.  On  the  29th  of  January, 
Kansas,  over  which  there  had  been  so  much  dis- 
sension, became  the  34th  State  of  the  Union. 
Lincoln  had  been  inaugurated  on  the  4th  of 
March  as  fourteenth  president  of  the  United  States, 
and  he  was  taking  vigorous  measures  to  stop  the 
progress  of  tlie  rebellion. 

While  lounging  about  the  rotunda  of  the  hotel, 
Mark  learned  much  of  what  was  goina;  on.  He 
heard  one  man  sa}^  that  their  agents  and  friends  in 
New  York  had  telegraphed  them  that  the  steamer 
Atlantic  had  sailed  with  troops  and  supplies  for 
Fort  Sumter  on  the  Tth.  He  also  learned  that 
there  was  a  rumor  that  troops  were  soon  to  gather 
at  Washington,  and  that  the  government  of  South 
Carolina  had  been  notified  that  provisions  would 
be  sent  to  Major  Anderson  by  force  if  necessary ; 
but  Mark  hardly  realized  the  danger.  He  was  too 
much  lost  in  the  mazes  of  a  happy  dream  to  dread 
a  coming  shock. 

The  evening  of  the  11th  came,  and  the  palatial 


138  UNION. 

mansion  of  Major  Stevens  was  a  scene  of  brilliance. 
The  dlite  and  beauty  of  Charleston,  that  proud  city 
of  the  South,  were  there.  Major  Stevens  was  ad- 
mired by  all.  He  had  commanded  the  battery 
that  fired  on  the  Star  of  the  TFes^,  was  a  brave  and 
determined  man  and  known  by  all  to  be  an  honor- 
able, upright  gentleman.  His  daughter  Clara  was 
quite  a  favorite,  and  the  young  people  anticipated 
an  excellent  time.  Mark  was  there  among  the 
first.  Alec  had  come  back ;  but  Mark,  with  Elsie 
leaning  on  his  arm  as  he  passed  through  the  bril- 
liant halls  and  art  galleries  beneath  gilded  chande- 
liers, seemed  to  have  almost  forgotten  his  cousin. 

"Well,  Mark  is  enjoying  himself,"  Alec  said 
with  a  sigh.  "  It's  at  the  cost  of  my  happiness; 
but  I  don't  blame  Mark.  Let  him  go  in  and  win 
her, — I  would.  If  he  don'tdo  it,  I  will.  I  prom- 
ised Mark  a  clear  field  while  he  is  here,  so  he 
had  better  make  hay  while  the  sun  shines. " 

Mark  was  enjoying  just  a  little  while  longer  the 
music  of  a  voice  which  reason  had  taught  him  he 
was  never  more  to  hear,  was  basking  in  the  sun- 
light of  a  pair  of  lovely  eyes  he  was  soon  to  see 
no  more.  The  crowd  was  gay.  The  room  was 
brilliant  with  uniforms  and  glittering  epaulettes. 
General  Beauregard  himself  was  present  early  in  the 
evening,  but  urgent  duties  called  him  elsewhere. 

The  home  of  Major  Stevens  overlooked  the  bay, 


3IARK  AND  ELSIE.  ■  ia9 

and  far  in  the  distance  Fort  Sumter  loomed. 
Mark,  in  his  love,  bewilderment  and  self-condem- 
nation, had  almost  forgotten  his  country  and  the 
brave  men  in  the  distant  fort. 

When  music  rose  in  its  softest  strains  and  with 
voluptuous  swell,  he  joined  in  the  dance  with 
Elsie.  Once  she  left  him  for  a  few  minutes  for  a 
Confederate  colonel ;  but  he  sought  her  as  soon  as 
the  set  was  over,  and  when  they  were  again  apart 
from  the  others,  he  said: 

"  Elsie,  I  want  to  be  with  you  all  the  remainder 
of  the  evening. " 

"Why?"  she  asked. 


"  Because  I  leave  earlv  in  the  morning,  and- 


and- 


"  We  may  never  see  each  other  again ! " 
"  That  is  exactly    what  I   mean,  Elsie.     I  go 
perhaps  never  to  return." 

They  went  into  the  conservatory  where  the  light 
of  a  southern  moon  fell  gently  upon  them.  For  a 
long  time  both  were  silent,  and  then  he  said : 
"  Elsie,  I  hope  you  realize  our  situation." 
"I  do,"  she  sighed.  It  was  a  favorable  omen, 
yet  how  dared  he  propose?  He  a  loyal  unionist, 
about  to  engage  in  a  desperate  struggle,  could  not 
avow  his  love  for  this  pretty  rebel  even  had  he 
been  otherwise  at  liberty  to  love.  After  a  long 
silence,  he  said : 


140  UNION. 

"  Elsie,  you  have  two  brothers  and  a  father, 
who  will  probably  engage  in  the  coming  struggle. 
You  appreciate  what  it  is,  and  for  your  sake  I 
hope  it  may  not  come. " 

By  an  effort  she  threw  off  the  spell,  which 
seemed  bowing  down  her  spirits,  and  said : 

"  Let  us  not  be  gloomy.  Nothing  is  so  bad  as  it 
seems.  Did  you  notice  Captain  Taylor,  how  atten- 
tive he  was  to  Cousin  Clara?  Now  she  don't  care  a 
fig  for  him,  and  he  is  almost  breaking  his  heart  for 
her.     I  would  not  allow  myself  to  be  so  ridiculous. " 

"  Were  you  ever  in  love?" 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Stevens,  what  a  question!"  she  cried, 
her  eyes  growing  round  with  wonder. 

"  It  is  a  question  that  admits  of  an  answer  by 
yes  or  no. " 

"  It  is  a  question  that  provokes  one  to  falsehood. 
One  in  love  never  admits  it,  save  in  the  most  sa- 
cred confidence  to  a  special  friend.  If  one  has 
never  been  in  love, — but  this  is  all  nonsense." 

"  Do  you  ever  feel  melancholy?" 

"  Sometimes. " 

"  Do  you  believe  in  presentiments?" 

"  I  hardly  know. " 

Before  they  could  say  more,  Alec  came  hur- 
riedly forward ;  his  face  flushed  with  excitement. 

"  Mark,  you  here?  I  have  been  hunting  you 
and  Elsie.      Have  you  heard  the  news?" 


XiS"^ 


^^v 


"Elsie,  I  hope  you  realize  our  situation." 


143  UNION. 

"  What  news?"  both  asked. 

"  General  Beauregard  has  demanded  the  sur- 
render of  Fort  Sumter,  and  if  it  is  not  surrendered 
by  four  o'clock  they  will  fire  on  the  fort." 

"  Heaven  forbid !" 

"It  is  true.  The  soldiers  have  been  summoned 
to  their  posts,  and  four  thousand  new  troops  have 
entered  the  city." 

Mark  now  remembered  having  noticed  a  consid- 
erable stir  among  the  soldiers  and  citizens.  Elsie, 
who  had  been  inclined  to  make  light  of  the  pros- 
pect of  war,  shuddered  with  dread,  when  she  found 
it  so  near  a  realization.  "  I  am  going  down  to  the 
battery  to  see  what  all  that  whooping  and  yelling 
means, "  cried  Alec.  "  Come  along,  Elsie,  you 
had  better  go  home.  There  will  be  trouble  soon, 
for  the  big  shells  from  Sumter  may  reach  Charles- 
ton." 

Alec  was  gone  in  a  moment,  and  Elsie,  shud- 
dering, said: 

"  Let  us  go  in." 

As  they  passed  along  the  narrow 'garden  path 
toward  the  house,  he  said: 

"  Elsie,  I  regret  this.  " 

"  Will  it  drive  you  away?" 

"Yes."  Then,  after  a  moment's  silence,  he 
asked,  "  Will  you  think  of  me  when  I  am  gone?" 

"Yes." 


MARK  AND  ELSIE.  143 

They  entered  the  house,  where  all  had  been  joy 
and  gayety  a  few  moments  before ;  but  people  were 
now  dispersing.  Men  were  hurrying  down  to  the 
batteries  in  their  ball  dress,  and  crossing  over  to 
James  Island. 

Mark  consulted  his  watch  and  found  that  it  was 
after  three  o'clock.  He  would  just  have  time  to 
reach  the  battery  before  the  fearful  blow  was 
struck.  The  city  was  ablaze  with  torches,  and 
although  the  throngs  were  silent,  there  was  uneasi- 
ness in  their  manner. 

"  Elsie,  I  must  go.  I  don't  know  why;  but  I 
shall  die  if  I  don't,"  said  Mark. 

"  Will  you  come  back?" 

"I  hope  to,  Elsie!"  he  whispered  in  her  ear. 
"  Forgive  me, — it  is  wrong,  I  know  it.  God 
knows  I  would  not  say  this  if  I  could  help  it;  I 
ought  never  to  have  come  here ;  but  I  could  not 
help  it ; — you  are  the  magnet  which  drew  me. 
Elsie,  I hve  you!" 

They  were  alone  in  one  of  the  many  bay  win- 
dows which  adorned  the  house.  She  started  back 
and  gave  him  such  a  look  of  horror  that  he  never 
forgot  it.  She  was  turning  coldly  away,  when  he 
hoarsely  gasped : 

"  Forgive  me !"  and  was  gone. 

No  sooner  was  she  alone  than  she  fell  weeping 
on  a  sofa. 


144  UNION. 

Mark,  meanwhile,  was  hurrying  as  rapidly  as 
he  could  toward  Cumings'  Point.  He  saw  wild- 
eyed  men  on  every  hand.  There  were  no  yells 
nor  cheers;  but  a  silent  excitement,  more  awful 
than  the  loudest  thunders  of  battle,  seemed  to  pre- 
vail. Mark  gained  the  island  just  as  some  one 
said : 

"  Time  is  up!" 

The  battery  was  lighted  by  brilliant  torches,  and 
he  saw  the  wild,  excited  faces  of  men  everywhere. 

"  There  is  old  Ruffin  at  the  gun,"  said  one  man, 
"  Beauregard  gave  him  permission  to  fire  the  first 
shot." 

Mark  looked  and  saw  an  old  man  with  a  face 
like  a  devil,  his  long,  gray  hair  streaming  in  the 
night  wind.  This  was  the  white-haired  Virginian 
Euffin,  who  begged  the  privilege  of  firing  the  first 
shot, — a  deed  of  which  he  boasted  as  long  as  he 
lived.* 

When  the  hour  of  four  in  the  morning  arrived, 
the  fort  had  not  surrendered.  Then  came  an  order 
from  Beauregard  to  fire  the  shot.  The  old  white- 
haired  monster  could  be  seen  dancing  about  like  a 
fiend  incarnate.  Suddenly  he  seized  the  lanyard 
and  gave  it  a  jerk.      There  was  an  earth-shaking 

*  In  tlie  summer  of  1865,  Ruffin,  at  the  age  of  seventj' 
years,  committed  suicide,  declaring  in  a  note  left  behind, 
"I  cannot  survive  the  liberties  of  my  country." 


MARK  AND  ELSIE.  145 

report,  and  a  large  round  shot  went  hissing  through 
the  air  and  struck  against  the  solid  wall  of  Fort 
Sumter  with  fearful  force. 

A  few  moments'  silence, — then  tremendous  yells 
rose  on  the  air,  and  a  storm  of  cannon-balls  and 
shells  flew  over  Fort  Sumter. 

Not  a  shot  was  returned  until  after  seven  o'clock. 
Mark,  in  his  anxiety,  asked  himself  again  and 
again : 

"  Can  it  be  that  they  will  surrender  without 
firing  a  shot?" 

Day  dawned,  and  the  thunder  of  guns  went  on. 

"  Hello,  Mark,  are  you  here?"  suddenly  cried 
a  voice  at  his  side,  and,  turning  about,  he  saw 
Alec.  "  The  terrible  war  has  begun,  and  God 
only  knows  how  it  will  end;  but  Sumter  don't 
seem  to  be  doing  anything.  The  fight  is  all  on 
one  side.  By  the  way,  Mark,  do  you  know  tliat 
cuss  of  a  nigger  Eph  has  played  me  a  mean  trick. 
I  bought  him  to  send  him  to  his  old  mother,  be- 
fore she  died.  I  started  him  home  with  my  fine 
team.  Some  of  the  infernal  abolitionists  persuaded 
him  to  escape,  and  he  has  gone  North,  horses  and 
all.     I  say  cuss  a  nigger,  anyhow " 

At  this  moment,  a  puff  of  smoke  was  seen  to 
issue  from  the  top  of  Fort  Sumter,   and  a  shell 
came   screeching    through    the    air.      The   famous 
siege  of  Fort  Sumter  had  begun, 
lu 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    PIRATE. 

The  first  year  of  the  war,  Dick  Stevens,  whom 
we  met  in  Florida,  was  in  England.  He  had  been 
travelling  in  Europe,  and  his  father,  having  some 
interests  in  a  Liverpool  cotton  house,  ordered  his 
son  there  to  look  after  them.  This  was  not  un- 
pleasant to  Dick,  especially  as  he  had  met  with  a 
Miss  Lorena  Lancaster,  a  Liverpool  girl,  while 
travelling  on  the  continent,  and  had  formed  a  warm 
attachment  for  her. 

Dick  had  heard  much  of  the  war.  He  knew 
that  his  father  was  in  the  command  of  a  regiment, 
had  fought  valiantly  at  Bull  Run,  and  that  his 
country  was  all  in  the  wildest  state  of  excitement; 
yet  so  wholly  were  his  thoughts  taken  up  with  his 
love  affair,  that  war,  country  and  friends  were  of 
minor  consideration.  Of  course  the  South  would 
gain  her  independence.  Such  a  thing  as  defeat  had 
never  entered  his  mind.  He  did  not  suppose  that 
Yankees  could  fight.  They  had  taken  but  little 
part  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  practically  no  part  in 
146 


THE  PIRATE.  147 

the  war  witli  Mexico.  The  West  and  South  had 
fought  those  battles,  and  the  idea  that  the  specu- 
lating, canting,  psalm-singing  Puritan  could  or 
would  fight,  was  too  ridiculous  to  be  entertained. 
The}'  could  organize  negro -stealing  societies,  and 
incite  slaves  to  murder  masters;  but  he  never 
dreamed  they  would  fight.  In  France  and  in 
England  he  found  strong  sympathizers  with  the 
South.  He  was  assured  again  and  again  that 
Great  Britain  would  declare  war  against  the  United 
States  and  assist  the  South  to  obtain  her  indepen- 
dence. 

He  reached  Liverpool  in  May,  and  one  day,  as 
he  was  walking  leisurely  down  the  street,  he  was 
accosted  by  some  one  with : 

"Hello,  Dick  Stevens,  what  are  you  doing  here?" 

Dick  looked  up  and  saw  a  young  man  coming 
toward  him.  His  voice  and  face  were  familiar, 
and,  recognizing  him  a  moment  later,  he  cried: 

"Charley  Cole,  can  it  be  possible  this  is  you? 
Where  have  you  been?" 

"  Cruising  about,  my  fine  fellow.  I  supposed 
you  were  at  home  in  the  army,  winning  battles  for 
your  country. " 

"  No, "  Dick  answered  blushing.  "  I  am  looking 
after  some  of  my  father's  interests  here;  though  I 
am  going  to  help  the  South.  But  Charley,  why 
are  you  not  in  the  service?" 


148  UNION. 

"lam." 

"  And  why  are  you  here?" 

With  a  smile,  Charley  Cole  said: 

"  I  am  engaged  in  a  service  for  the  South,  Dick. " 

"What  is  it?" 

"  Do  you  really  wish  to  help  your  country?" 

"  Certainly. " 

"  Then  you  can  have  an  opportunity,"  Charley 
Cole  remarked.  "  We  are  organizing  a  crew,  and 
are  building  a  vessel  to  driva  the  Yankee  com- 
merce from  the  seas.  This  ship  will  soon  be  com- 
pleted and  will  want  recruits." 

"  I  am  no  sailor,  Charley.  You  graduated  at 
Annapolis  and  served  in  the  United  States  Navy ; 
— you  have  experience,  and  I  have  none." 

"  But  we'll  soon  make  a  sailor  of  you.  I  am 
going  to  ship  as  a  common  seaman.  You  can 
also." 

"  What  is  to  be  the  name  of  this  ship?" 

"  T/ie  ^290*  The  Lairds  of  Birkenhead,  Eng- 
land, are  building  her  for  the  Confederate  States 
government.  Captain  James  D.  Bullock,  as  agent 
for  the  Confederacy,  is  superintending  her  con- 
struction." 

"  How  will  you  get  her  out?" 

"  As  a  ruse,  she  is  to  be  sent  on  a  trial  trip  with 
a  large  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen." 

*The  name  by  which  the  Alabama  was  first  known. 


THE  PIRATE.  149 

After  that,  Dick  met  his  cousin  Charley  Cole 
quite  frequently  ;  but  although  Charlej-  often  en- 
deavored to  persuade  him  to  join  the  cruiser,  his 
argument  had  little  effect,  until  one  day,  while  in 
company  with  Miss  Lancaster,  she  asked : 

"  What  are  you  doing  for  the  South,  Mr. 
Stevens  ? " 

Stammering  and  blushing,  he  answered : 
"  I  am  superintending  my  father's  business." 
"  And  your  State,  your  kindred,  all  struggling 
with  an  invader!     Oh,    Mr.    Stevens,    I  thought 
you  a  brave  man ! " 

Dick  blushed  to  the  tips  of  his  ears  and  felt  his 
blood  tingling  to  the  ends  of  his  fingers.  How  he 
got  through  the  evening  he  never  exactly  knew. 
To  be  called  a  coward  by  the  woman  he  loved, 
and,  what  was  worse,  in  his  own  heart  to  realize 
that  he  was  a  cow^ard,  was  humiliating.  In  his 
bewilderment,  he  asked : 

"  Would  you  advise  me  to  ship  as  a  common 
sailor?" 

"  Certainly,  if  your  country  needs  your  services." 
He  thought  of  the  new  privateer  and  his  cousin's 
desire  to  have  him  ship  with  him.  He  left  the 
house  like  one  in  a  daze.  The  street  lights  glim- 
mered, and  he  saw  as  through  a  mist.  He  had 
been  reproved  by  the  only  being  for  wdiose  opinion 
he  cared.     Dick   resolved  to  prove  his   courage. 


150  UNION. 

Next  day,  July  3,  1862,  he  signed  the  articles 
which  made  him  one  of  the  "  '290, "  afterward  the 
Alabama.  The  shipping  agent,  Mr.  Campbell, 
warned  him  against  Yankee  spies,  and  assured 
him  that  in  three  months  Great  Britain  -would  de- 
clare war  against  the  United  States. 

Dick  hurriedly  arranged  his  father's  affairs, 
wrote  a  letter  to  his  iTiother  informing  her  of  what 
he  had  done,  and  called  on  Miss  Lancaster.  She 
was  out  riding,  the  servant  said,  but  would  return 
soon.  Would  Mr.  Stevens  wait?  He  would,  and 
it  seemed  ages  before  she  returned.  He  spent 
most  of  the  time  in  the  picture  gallery  and  library, 
trying  to  entertain  himself,  but  feeling  decidedly 
miserable.  At  last  her  coupe  dashed  up  to  the 
door;  the  lady  was  assisted  to  alight,  and  entered 
the  house.  A  few  minutes  later  she  was  at  his 
side,  her  great  blue  eyes  smiling  as  she  said: 

"I  know  all  about  it,  Mr.  Stevens;  you  have 
enlisted. " 

"  How  did  you  learn  it?" 

"  Mr.  Campbell  told  me.  I  am  going  on  the 
trial  trip." 

"  I  shall  be  pleased  to  see  you  aboard,  Miss 
Lancaster,  and  I  hope  that  I  may  prove  to  you 
that  I  can  defend  my  country." 

She  smiled,  and  he,  in  a  very  serious  tone, 
added,  "  You  first  inspired  me  with  the  thought. 


THE  PIRATE  151 

and  I  trust  you  will  not  think  me  bold  when  I  say 
that  you  inspire  me  to  do  only  what  is  right  and 
noble."  Her  eyes  drooped  and  a  faint  flush  suf- 
fused her  face.  He  said  when  his  ship  had  cleared 
the  seas  of  Yankee  merchantmen,  and  the  great 
and  glorious  Confederacy  had  l)een  established,  he 
would  ask  her  hand  in  marriage.  Dick  was  of  a 
good  family  ;  his  father  was  wealthy,  and  there 
was  no  obstacle  to  such  a  union. 

Witli  a  naive  smile  and  an  arch  look  from  the 
corner  of  her  pretty  eyes,  she  intimated  that  when 
he  had  built  up  the  great  southern  empire,  she 
might  say  yes.  Until  then  she  preferred  single 
blessedness. 

The  following  day,  Dick  went  aboard  the  vessel, 
and  was  very  well  pleased  with  it.  To  even  an 
unpractised  eye,  everything  indicated  the  character 
of  the  ship.  There  were  no  platforms,  but  the 
places  for  the  pivot  guns  were  plainly  marked. 
Her  magazines  were  iinislied,  and  shot  boxes  were 
lying  about. 

It  was  the  28th  of  July  that  the  290  went 
out  of  the  Mersey,  on  what  was  supposed  to  be 
a  trial  trip,  loaded  with  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
Among  the  former  was  Miss  Lancaster,  of  course. 
Though  Dick  was  trying  to  learn  the  mysteries  of 
seamanship,  he  managed  to  snatch  a  few  moments 
and    hold    a    short    conversation    with    her.       He 


152  UNION. 

squeezed  her  hand  at  parting  and  received  an  as- 
suring squeeze  in  return. 

The  vessel  anchored  in  a  bay  on  the  Welsh 
coast,  where  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  left,  and 
they  "were  joined  by  most  of  the  crew.  They  had 
about  one  hundred  men  aboard  now,  half  of  them 
sailors,  the  others  being  coal-passers  and  long- 
shoremen, and,  in  fact,  a  more  motley  crowd  per- 
haps was  never  seen.  They  represented  every 
nationality  and  every  type  of  vice.  After  a  day's 
delay,  they  sailed  around  the  northern  coast  of 
Ireland,  and  in  thirteen  days  arrived  at  Terceira, 
one  of  the  Azore  Islands. 

Charley  Cole  was  one  of  the  crew,  and  he  and 
Dick  were  assigned  to  the  same  mess  and  quarters. 
But  for  Charley,  who  had  some  knowledge  of 
sailor  life,  Dick  would  have  fared  hard.  The 
290  was  by  no  means  as  fast  as  had  been  ex- 
pected. During  her  first  trip,  she  did  not  make 
over  ten  knots  an  hour,  and  had  a  most  disagree- 
able habit,  when  driven  to  the  top  of  her  speed,  of 
burying  her  head  and  setting  everything  afloat. 
This  was  decidedly  unpleasant  for  the  crew  in  the 
berth  deck. 

A  few  days  later,  they  were  joined  by  an  Eng- 
lish bark,  loaded  with  guns  and  munitions  of  war, 
and  went  to  work  laying  platforms  for  the  heavy 
guns  and  mounting  the  pivot  guns,  one  a  very  line 


THE  PIRATE.  153 

Blakely  hundred -pound  rifle  cannon,  and  the  other 
an  eight-inch  sixty-eight-pounder  smooth  bore. 
The  Portuguese  governor  having  ordered  them  out 
of  the  harbor,  they  were  compelled  to  do  their 
work  in  a  rolling  sea,  three  miles  from  an  anchor- 
age. Before  they  had  finished,  the  steamer  Ba- 
hama came  alongside,  bringing  Captain  Semmes 
and  the  remainder  of  the  crew,  also  more  guns, 
munitions  of  war,  and,  it  was  whispered,  a  large 
sum  of  money. 

Dick  had  heard  much  of  Captain,  or  rather 
Rear- Admiral,  Raphael  Semmes,  and  he  was  a  little 
disappointed  on  seeing  him.  He  was  a  tall,  rather 
spare  built  man,  with  a  light  mustache  and  dark 
brown  hair.  He  wore  no  beard,  and  his  face 
would  indicate  that  he  was  more  for  reflection 
than  action.  He  seemed  to  lack  the  firmness 
necessary  for  such  an  undertaking  as  was  before 
him;  but  Dick  was  in  a  measure  mistaken. 
Semmes  was  a  bolder  and  more  daring  man  than 
he  seemed. 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  Semmes,  the  crew 
all  got  liberty  to  go  on  shore.  Dick,  unfamiliar 
with  sailors'  actions,  was  shocked  at  the  conduct 
of  his  shipmates.  In  common  parlance  "  they  took 
the  town."  The  few  policemen  of  the  place  were 
powerless;  they  were  seized  and  mounted  on  the 
men's  backs.      The  authorities  were  defied,   and 


154  UNION. 

althougli  no  serious  outrage  was  committed,  the 
Portuguese  officials  remonstrated  with  Semmes  for 
letting  loose  such  a  party  of  ruffians  on  them. 
Dick  Stevens  was  appalled  at  their  acts;  but  his 
cousin  Charley  Cole  only  laughed,  and  remarked: 

"  You'll  think  nothing  of  this,  Dick,  after  a  six 
months'  cruise."  But  few  of  the  men  had  yet 
signed  articles,  and  the  officers  of  the  Alabama  had 
no  legal  control  over  them.  When  the  time  for 
signing  came,  they  were  told  they  could  go  or 
stay,  but  if  they  went  they  must  "  quit  backing 
and  filling,  and  come  aboard  at  once." 

They  went  on  board  to  a  man  and  signed  the 
papers,  and  for  two  days  worked  hard  cleaning  the 
ship.  The  crew  was  divided  into  watclies,  and 
the  routine  life  of  a  man-o'-war  commenced.  Dick 
was  delighted  to  have  his  cousin  Charles  assigned 
to  the  same  watch  with  himself. 

One  bright  Sunday  morning  they  left  Angra  in 
company  with  the  Baluuna.  The  officers  came 
out  in  full  uniform ;  the  band  played  "  Dixie;"  all 
hands  were  mustered,  and  the  flag  under  which 
they  were  to  sail  was  unfurled  for  the  first  time, 
and  they  heard  the  first  of  Captain  Semmes's  ex- 
hortations, in  which  he  expressed  his  hope  that 
Providence  would  bless  their  efforts  to  free  the 
South  from  a  grasping  and  unreasonable  Nortli. 

"  Yass,  Providence  likely  to  bless  this  ere  crew !" 


THE  PIRATE.  155 

growled  a  boatswain's  mate  behind  Dick,  and  Dick 
tliouglit  he  was  right. 

Sailors'  pranks  began  early.  Daring  the  night, 
some  one,  appreciating  the  piratical  nature  of  the 
craft,  ornamented  a  bread-bag  with  a  skull  and 
cross-bones  and  fastened  it  to  one  of  the  mizzen 
braces.  In  the  morning  the  master-at-arms  was 
hunting  for  the  delinquent;  but  the  sailors  laugh- 
ing declared  that  Chucks*  the  marine  had  been  at 
his  tricks. 

Dick  was  not  long  in  coming  to  the  conclusion 
that  never  in  his  life  had  he  seen  such  a  bad  lot. 
All  were  sailors, — not  a  haymaker,  or  landlubber 
among  them, — but  they  were  mostly  of  that  class, 
found  in  seaport  towns,  which  on  lakes  and  rivers 
would  be  "  roust-abouts, "  and  on  the  whole  were 
a  rough  and  mutinous  set.  They  cared  little  for 
the  ship's  officers,  and,  according  to  a  sailor  called 
"  Shakings,"  on  account  of  his  bushy  yellow  hair, 
"they'd  stand  no  man-o'-war  dicky  from  'em." 

Such  yarns  as  they  spun  when  off  watch  would 
put  both  Gulliver  and  Munchausen  to  shame. 
Dick,  having  never  been  to  sea  and  not  possessing 
extraordinary  inventive  powers,  kept  out  of  the 
lying  contest.  A  Scotchman  named  Gill,  in  Dick's 
watch,  was  perhaps  the  greatest  character  on  board 
the  ship.  He  was  in  his  prime,  about  forty  years 
*  A  sort  of  a  "Robin  Goodfellow"  on  a  man-of-war. 


156  UNION. 

of  age,  and  could  hold  two  ordinary  men  at  arm's 
length,  as  if  they  were  children.  He  could  quote 
scripture  and  sermons,  drink  more  whiskey  and 
tell  more  lies  than  any  man  on  board  the  Alabama- 
and  that  was  saying  a  great  deal.  He  was  a  daring, 
dangerous  ruffian,  who  had  been  engaged  in  a  score 
of  mutinies,  and  was  even  accused  of  murdering 
the  officers  of  one  vessel  and  beaching  her. 

The  first  officer,  John  Mcintosh  Kell,  was  most 
respected  of  any ;  but  such  a  crew  could  not  respect 
Semmes,  whom  some  one  accused  of  having  once 
been  a  preacher.  Shakings  indignantly  sized  him 
up  as  follows: 

"He's  a  d — d  psalm-singer,  an'  jury  captain." 
The  diversion  on  deck,  when  off  duty,  was  chiefly 
fencing  with  broadswords,  wrestling  and   fighting. 

September  3,  1862,  the  Alabama  took  the  first 
prize,  a  whaling  schooner.  It  was  no  difficult  job 
to  capture  the  poor  vessel.  A  shot  across  her 
bow, — she  came  to,  and  then  boats  were  sent  out 
to  bring  in  the  prisoners  and  the  booty,  which  was 
not  much.  Dick  here  witnessed  the  burning  of 
the  first  ship,  and  as  he  watched  the  flames  ascend- 
ing the  tall,  tapering  masts,  crackling  and  roaring, 
he  asked  himself : 

"  Is  this  legitimate  warfare,  or  is  it  piracy?" 

The  prisoners  were  placed  on  deck  under  a  spar- 
rigged   sail,  and   fared   br.dly    in   stormy   weather. 


THE  PIRATE.  157 

They  soon  began  taking  prizes  quite  rapidly, 
and  were  so  crowded  with  prisoners,  that  the  crew 
became  discommoded.  Their  hammocks  touched 
each  other,  and  the  roughs  took  advantage  of  this 
to  annoy  their  more  quiet  shipmates.  Dick's 
hammock  was  cut  down  by  a  fellow  called 
"  Spotty."  He  watched  his  chance  and,  pouncing 
on  the  offender,  almost  pounded  the  life  out  of 
him.  He  was  made  to  do  double  duty  for  three 
days,  but  was  dumped  no  more. 

"You  must  be  careful,  Dick!"  said  Charles  to 
his  cousin.      "  Spotty  is  a  chum  of  old  Gills." 

"I  care  as  little  for  Gills  as  Spotty,"  Dick  an- 
swered, and  his  boldness  to  a  certain  degree  won 
the  respect  of  the  tough  element  of  the  crew. 

They  were  now  within  four  hundred  miles  of 
New  York  in  the  "rolling  forties,"  and  directly 
in  the  track  of  American  commerce. 

Save  plundering  the  prisoners  when  captured, 
they  were  treated  fairly  well;  but  the  boarding 
crews  were  veritable  pirates  and  quite  beyond  the 
control  of  their  officers.  They  looted  a  prize  when 
captured,  going  through  the  chests  of  the  sailors 
and  taking  from  the  persons  of  the  prisoners,  such 
things  as  they  wished. 

Among  the  many  prizes  captured  and  destroyed, 
there  were  many  varieties  of  character.  Some 
were  so  odd  as  to  cause  Dick  and  Charley  to  smile. 


158  UNION. 

On  one  occasion  they  accompanied  officer  Kell  to 
the  deck  of  a  prize.  The  captain  of  the  captured 
vessel  stood  trembling  aft  the  main  gangway,  as  if 
he  expected  to  lose  his  head.  The  executive 
officer  of  the  Alabama  said: 

"  Captain,  you  many  bring  away  such  of  your 
personal  effects  as  you  desire.  " 

"  Thank  you,  sir,  I  have  one  request  to  make 
of  you,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Name  it,"  said  officer  Kell. 

"  I  beg  you  will  permit  me  to  bring  away  a  copy 
of  Spurgeon's  sermons  and  a  keg  of  very  fine 
whiskey." 

With  a  smile,  the  officer  answered : 

"  You  can  take  your  sermons, — they  will  be  safe 
from  molestation ;  but  your  keg  of  whiskey  would 
be  taken  from  you  and  make  half  the  men  furious. 
It  must  go  overboard." 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  give  a  detailed  account 
of  the  cruises  of  the  Alabama.  That  has  been 
done  by  many  other  historians,  and  only  so  far  as 
it  relates  to  the  characters  of  our  story  can  the 
reader  be  interested.  Dick  had  little  sympathy 
with  the  lawless  crew,  for  they  were  too  coarse  for 
his  refined  taste.  He  could  not  spin  yarns;  but 
he  had  a  splendid  baritone  voice,  and  often  amused 
them  with  songs.  Some  one  composed  a  song  re- 
flecting on  the  supposed  clerical  character  of  their 


"  HOLD    ON !     STOr    THAT ! 


'if  you  ever  sing  ag'in  we'll   fire  you 


THHOIGH     THE     LEE     PORT." 


THE  PIRATE.  159 

captain.      This    was    bawled    out    in    tones    loud 
enough  to  be  heard  in  the  mess  room  aft : 

"Oh,  our  captain  said,  when  my  fortune's  made, 
I'll  buy  a  church  to  preach  in, 
And  fill  it  full  of  toots  and  liorns. 
And  have  a  jolly  Methodee  screechin'. 

"And  I'll  pray  the  Lord,  from  night  to  morn, 
To  weather  old  Yankee  Doodle — 
And  I'll  runahinfant  Sunday-school 
With  a  part  of  the  Yankee  boodle. "  * 

Top-Robbin,  as  one  sailor  was  called,  was  a 
prolific  story  teller;  but  as  yet  had  never  taken 
any  part  in  the  singing.  It  was  decreed  one  even- 
ing while  the  watch  were  amusing  themselves, 
that  Top-Robbin  should  take  his  part  in  singing. 

"  Come  now,  Top-Robbin,  pipe  up  an'  spread 
all  canvas,"  said  Shakings.  With  a  look  of  in- 
tense misery,  Top-Robbin  commenced  in  the  most 
terrible  squeaky  treble  and  hoarse  voice  one  ever 
heard : 

"How  Jerry  Lee  was  hung  at  sea. 
For  stabbing  of  his  messmate  true. 
And  his  body  did  swing,  a  horrible  thing 
At  the  sport  of  the  wild  sea  mew — " 

"  Hold  on  !  stop  that!"  screamed  one  of  the  sail- 
ors, and  his  request  was  backed  by  a  general  plead- 
ing yell  from  all. 

*  Century  Magazine. 


160  UNION. 

"  If  you  ever  sing  agin  in  this  'ere  watch  while 
we're  off  soundings,  we'll  lire  you  through  the  lee 
port, "  declared  Shakings.  "  Such  a  voice  as  that 
would  raise  a  hurrycane. " 

"  I  wan't  a-doin'  this  for  my  own  amusement," 
said  Top-Eobbin  meekly. 

"  Well,  you  needn't  do  it  for  mine,"  responded 
Shakings. 

They  arrived  at  Martinique,  and  Charley  and 
Dick,  who  had  about  all  the  patriotism  of  the  crew, 
were  pleased  to  see  the  enthusiasm  of  the  French 
over  their  success  in  driving  Yankee  commerce 
from  the  seas.  Dick  got  leave  and  went  ashore, 
as  he  had  acquaintances  on  the  island.  There  he 
heard  the  brightest  side  of  the  war.  The  Confed- 
erate victories  were  made  large,  and  their  reverses 
small. 

Next  day,  Charley  came  ashore  and  went  to  the 
house  where  his  cousin  was  staying. 

"  You  missed  the  biggest  row  of  the  cruise  last 
night,  Dick!" 

"Why,  Charley?" 

"  Old  Gill  was  on  the  warpath.  The  French 
corvette  gave  a  dinner  to  our  officers.  Gill  licked 
two  of  the  Frenchman's  petty  officers  almost  to 
death,  as  his  part  of  the  entertainment,  and  our 
liberties  were  stopped  as  a  result.  Forest  eluded 
the  lookouts,  swam  ashore  and  from  some  place,  I 


THE  PIRATE.  161 

know  not  where,  stole  five  gallons  of  the  worst 
fighting  whiskey  I  ever  saw.  It  set  the  whole 
watch  crazy.  Forest  kept  pretty  straight;  but  old 
Gill  'bowsed  up  his  jib,'  until  he  could  scarce 
stand.  Then  such  an  uproar  I  never  heard ;  the 
lanterns  were  lit  in  defiance,  and  when  the  watch 
was  called,  the  officer  of  the  deck  was  saluted  with 
all  manner  of  'skrim-shander. '  The  boatswain 
fell  by  a  blow  from  a  belaying  pin  and  everything 
loose  was  fired  aft.  The  officers  and  marines,  with 
the  sober  part  of  the  crew,  charged,  and  such  a 
fight  you  never  saw.  Gill  knocked  the  jaw  of  the 
gunner's  mate  out  of  place,  but  was  finally  laid 
out  by  a  capstan-bar,  and  the  drunken  men  secured. 
All  are  now  under  double  irons." 

Dick  bowed  his  head  and  said : 

"  Charley,  this  society  may  be  all  right  in  time 
of  war;  but  it  is  not  elevating." 

Charley  whistled  and  turned  his  eyes  toward  the 
ceiling. 

"I  have  sailed  with  many  a  crew,  Dick;  but 
this  is  undoubtedly  the  toughest  I  ever  knew." 

They  went  aboard,  and  that  evening  a  rumor 
reached  them  that  a  Yankee  cruiser,  the  San 
Jacinto,  was  outside  waiting  for  them.  Nearly 
all  the  crew,  worn  out  with  the  monotony  of  tak- 
ing merchantmen,  wanted  to  fight;  but  Captain 
Semmes  and  his  officers  were  against  it,  and  by 
11 


162  UNION. 

the  open  and  undisguised  assistance  of  the  French 
naval  officers  they  got  out. 

Sunday,  January  11,  1863,  they  had  their  first 
conflict.  Hitherto,  nothing  but  prizes  and  easy 
captures  had  fallen  to  their  lot;  but  on  this  day 
the  men  were  ordered  to  their  guns  in  a  rather 
business-like  manner.  Dick  felt  his  heart  beating 
wildly  as  he  stood  by  his  gun.  Old  Gill,  Top- 
Robbin  and  Shakings  were  swearing  on  his  left, 
while  Charley,  as  cool  as  a  veteran,  stood  on  his 
right.  Through  the  dusk  he  saw  the  bows  of  a 
small  steamer  coming  toward  them.  Her  officers 
must  have  seen  that  the  men  were  at  their  quar- 
ters, with  guns  manned.  She  came  within  one 
hundred  yards  before  hailing.  Captain  Kell  an- 
swered : 

"  This  is  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  steamer 
Petrel!  "     The  answer  came  back: 

"  This  is  the  United  States  steamer  Hatteras  !  " 
At  the  same  moment  Captain  Kell  cried: 

"  This  is  the  Confederate  steamer  Alabama  !  " 

"Fire — Fire!"  rang  throughout  the  ship,  and 
the  Alabama  poured  in  a  whole  broadside  from 
their  starboard  batteries.  They  were  not  more 
than  fift}'  yards  away,  and  Dick  could  plainly  hear 
the  awful  crash  of  their  shot  tearing  the  hull  and 
rigging  of  the  enemy.  Soon  bright  flashes  came 
from  the  enemy's  decks,  and  they  heard  the  whiz 


THE  PIRATE.  163 

of  sLots  above  their  heads.  For  ten  minutes  the 
conflict  was  sharp  and  terrible.  Dick  was  ram- 
ming home  a  charge,  when  he  heard  a  voice  for- 
ward cry  out: 

"  The  enemy  is  sinking. " 

"Cease  firing!"  cried  Captain  Kell.  Captain 
Semmes  came  along  a  moment  later,  and  the  officers 
ordered  boats  to  be  lowered. 

Dick  was  almost  exhausted  with  the  violent  ex- 
ercise and  nervous  strain.  He  sat  on  the  gun  car- 
riage and  laid  his  hand  on  the  barrel  of  the  cannon. 
It  was  so  hot  he  took  it  away.  Meanwhile,  boats 
had  been  lowered  and  brought  off  the  enemy,  and 
then  the  Hatteras  went  down  stern  foremost. 

As  Captain  Blake  of  the  Hatteras  came  over  the 
side  of  the  Alabama,  he  seized  the  hand  of  Captain 
Kell,  saying: 

"  Aye,  Captain  Kell,  we  have  sailed  together  in 
other  years. " 

"  Yes,  Captain  Blake,  and  under  other  circum- 
stances. " 

"  Fortune  favors  the  brave!" 

"  I  trust,  captain,  you  will  have  a  pleasant  voy- 
age on  the  Alabama.^'' 

Only  five  of  the  Hatteras'  crew  had  been  killed 
and  wounded.  The  others  were  paroled  at  King- 
ston. While  they  were  lying  at  Jamaica  one  day, 
Charles  came  aboard  and  said : 


164  UNIOX. 

"  Dick,  I  believe  that  Gill  and  Forest  have 
killed  that  Irishman  King-post." 

"Why?" 

"  They  do  not  like  him,  because  he  has  reported 
on  them  several  times.  P.  D.  Haywood,  the  Eng- 
lishman, told  me  that  he  saw  them  going  with 
King-post  out  of  the  town.  The  Irishman  was 
drunk,  and,  suspecting  foul  play,  Haywood  tried 
to  follow  them;  but  they  eluded  him.  They 
came  back  without  him,  and  when  Haywood  asked 
Gill  where  King-post  was,  the  old  Scotchman  gave 
him  a  significant  glance  and  answered : 

"'I  dunna  know,  laddie;  but  he'll  hand  his 
tongue  noo;  and  ye  better  say  naithing,  yir  a  wise 
fallou. '  King-post  has  not  shown  up  yet,  and  I 
doubt  if  he  ever  will. "  King-post  was  never  seen 
afterward,  and  was  no  doubt  murdered  by  those 
ruffians. 


CHAPTER   YIII. 

THE    RECRUIT. 

The  border  States,  Virginia,  Kentuck}-,  and 
Missouri,  felt  in  full  the  curse  of  civil  war.  Po- 
litical leaders  of  these  States  took  positions  which 
finally  brought  great  distress  upon  the  inhabitants. 
A  number  of  these  leaders  professed  to  be  condi- 
tional friends  of  the  Union.  They  would  be  its 
friends  so  long  as  the  national  government  did  not 
interfere  with  slavery,  nor  "  attempt  to  bring  back 
the  seceded  States;"  in  other  words,  they  were 
friends  of  the  republic  so  long  as  it  did  not  raise 
a  finger  for  the  salvation  of  its  life.  When  the 
president's  call  for  troops  to  suppress  the  rebellion 
appeared,  the  Louisville  Journal,  the  organ  of  the 
professed  unionists  of  Kentucky,  hastened  to  say, 
"  We  are  struck  with  mingled  amazement  and  in- 
dignation. The  policy  announced  in  the  procla- 
mation deserves  the  unqualified  condemnation  of 
every  American  citizen.  It  is  unworthy,  not 
merely  of  a  statesman,  but  a  man.  It  is  a  policy 
utterly  hairbrained  and  ruinous.  If  Mr.  Lincoln 
165 


166  UNION. 

contemplated  this  policy  in  his  inaugural  address, 
he  is  a  guilty  dissembler.  If  he  conceived  it 
under  the  excitement  aroused  by  the  seizure  of 
Fort  Sumter,  he  is  a  guilty  hotspur.  In  either 
case,  he  is  miserably  unfit  for  the  exalted  position 
in  which  the  enemies  of  the  country  have  placed 
him.  Let  the  people  instantly  take  him  and  his 
administration  into  their  own  hands,  if  they  would 
rescue  the  land  from  bloodshed  and  the  Union 
from  sudden  and  irretrievable  destruction." 

At  a  large  "  union  meeting"  in  Louisville,  over 
which  James  Guthrie  and  other  leading  men  in 
the  State  held  control,  it  was  resolved  that  "  Ken- 
tucky reserves  to  herself  the  right  to  choose  her 
own  position ;  and  that,  while  her  natural  sympa- 
thies are  with  those  who  have  a  common  interest 
in  the  protection  of  slavery,  she  still  acknowledges 
her  loyalty  and  fealty  to  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  which  vshe  will  carefully  render 
witil  tJ/at  government  becomes  aggressive,  tyrannical 
and  regardless  of  our  rights  in  slave  property. ^^ 
They  furthermore  declared  that  the  States  were 
peers  of  the  national  government;  and  gave  the 
world  to  understand  that  the  latter  should  not  be 
allowed  to  use  sanguinary  or  coercive  measures 
to  "  bring  back  the  seceded  States.  "  The  "  Ken- 
tucky State  Guard,"  which  the  governor  had  or- 
ganized for  the  benefit  of  the  secessionists,  were 


THE  RECRUIT.  167 

commended  by  this  miion  meeting  as  "  the  bul- 
wark and  safety  of  the  commonwealth,"  and  its 
members  were  enjoined  to  remember  that  they 
were  pledged  equall}'  to  fidelity  to  the  United 
States  and  Kentucky. 

"  The  Guard"  was  placed  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Simon  B.  Buckner  of  the  national  army, 
who  was  then  evidently  in  the  secret  service  of 
the  Confederac}',  for  he  effectively  used  his  posi- 
tion in  seducing  large  numbers  of  the  members  of 
the  Guard  from  their  allegiance  to  the  old  flag, 
and  sent  them  as  recruits  to  the  Confederate 
armies.  It  was  not  long  before  he  led  a  large 
portion  of  them  into  the  camp  of  the  enemy,  and 
he  became  a  Confederate  major-general.  Then  the 
Louisville  Journal,  that  had  so  savagely  condemned 
the  president,  more  savagely  assailed  Buckner  with 
curses,  saying,  "  Away  with  your  pledges  and 
assurances — with  your  protestations,  apologies  and 
proclamations — at  once  and  altogether!  Away, 
parricide,  away,  and  do  penance  forever! — be 
shriven  or  slain — away!  You  have  less  palliation 
than  Atilla, — less  boldness,  magnanimity  and  no- 
bleness than  Coriolanus.  You  are  the  Benedict 
Arnold  of  the  day !  You  are  the  Catiline  of  Ken- 
tucky!  Go,  thou  miscreant!"  And  when  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1862,  Buckner  and  some  of  the  State  Guard 
were  captured  at  Fort  Donelson,  and  he  was  sent 


168  UNION. 

to  Fort  Warren,  Boston,  many  of  those  who  were 
deceived  by  the  pretence  that  the  Guard  was  the 
"  bulwark  of  the  commonwealth,"  demanded  his 
delivery  to  the  authorities  of  Kentucky,  to  be 
tried  for  treason  against  the  State.  As  a  little 
leaven  leavens  the  whole  loaf,  so  had  a  little 
Calhounism  even  imj^regnated  the  thoughts  of 
those  naturally  inclined  to  be  loyal  to  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  South  treated  with  derision  President  Lin- 
coln's first  call  for  seventy -five  thousand  volun- 
teers to  put  down  the  rebellion,  and  the  Mobile 
Advertiser  inserted  an  advertisement  for  seventy- 
five  thousand  cofiins  for  Lincoln's  soldiers. 

While  Virginia  suffered  for  her  hesitation,  and 
Kentucky  for  her  attempt  at  neutrality,  Missouri 
also  became  a  four  years'  battle-field  by  trying  to 
follow  their  example.  But  for  the  prompt  and 
wise  action  of  Captain,  afterward  General,  Na- 
thaniel Lyon,  Missouri  would  have  been  forced 
into  the  Southern  Confederacy.  Lyon's  prompt 
seizure  of  the  Home  Guards  at  Camp  Jackson,  his 
rapid  descent  on  the  disloyal  governor,  whom  he 
sent  flying  from  the  capital,  saved  the  State.  Had 
Lyon  lived,  he  undoubtedly  would  have  been  the 
hero  of  the  war.  No  man  displayed  more  courage 
or  ability;  but  unfortunately  he  fell  at  the  battle 
of  Wilson  Creek,  August  10,  1861. 


THE  RECRUIT.  169 

Soon  after  the  bombardment  and  evacuation  at 
Fort  Sumter,  Mark  Stevens  returned  to  bis  borne 
in  Boone  County,  Kentucky.  Tbe  dear  old  plan- 
tation with  tbe  blue  bills  in  tbe  distance,  tbe 
wbite-baired  fatber  sitting  beneatb  bis  favorite 
tree,  tbe  negro  sbauties,  tbe  merry  laugbter  of 
slaves  going  to  or  returning  from  tbe  fields,  all 
made  up  a  pleasant  scene  for  tbe  memory  of  tbe 
youtb  wben  away. 

Tbey  knew  be  was  coming,  and  Jobn,  a  mulatto 
man,  wbo  bad  once  tried  to  run  away,  but  instead 
of  gaining  bis  liberty  bad  been  kidnapped  and 
sent  to  tbe  West  Indies,  was  sent  for  bim.  Since 
Jobn's  terrible  experience  in  trying  to  gain  bis 
freedom,  it  was  tbougbt  be  would  never  make  tbe 
effort  again,  especially  as  be  declared  tbat  be  would 
not  leave  "  moster  Stevens."  even  if  be  gave  bim 
his  freedom;  but  John,  like  tbe  majority  of  bis 
race,  was  fickle,  and  in  1862  accepted  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity to  escape  and  went  over  into  Obio,  afterward 
joined  in  a  colored  regiment,  went  to  tbe  war,  and 
perisbed  at  Fort  Pillow. 

Wben  Mark  returned,  be  found  tbe  old  farm  but 
little  cbanged.  His  aged  fatber,  wbose  venerable 
locks  were  wbite  as  snow,  was  sitting  on  tbe  long 
piazza  witb  tbe  wife  and  motber  at  bis  side. 

Tbey  rose  and  greeted  tbe  return  of  tbeir  son 
witb  smiles  of  joy.     Otber  members  of  tbe  family 


170  UNION. 

had  been  summoned  from  the  surrounding  planta- 
tions to  make  the  return  pleasant.  They  talked 
of  almost  everything  save  the  coming  struggle. 

It  was  not  until  next  day  that  Mark  mentioned 
it  to  his  father. 

"Well,  my  son,"  said  the  old  major,  shaking 
his  gray  head,  "  I  have  long  seen  it  coming. 
When  I  first  began  reading  the  speeches  of  Cal- 
houn, I  knew  it  was  not  far  off.  It  was  dangerous 
doctrine.  In  our  institutions  it  was  like  a  living 
coal  of  fire  in  a  powder-mill.  Washington  and 
Hamilton  saw  this,  and  they  tried  to  prevent  it. 
Had  their  words  of  wisdom  been  heeded,  it  might 
have  been  averted. " 

"  Father,  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  enlist 
under  the  president's  call." 

The  gra}' -haired  patriot  was  silent  a  few  mo- 
ments; then  he  said: 

"  It  is  no  eas}^  thing  for  one  to  give  up  his  child  ; 
but  I  will  do  it.  Yes,  you  may  go.  I  hope  you 
will  be  an  honor  to  the  name  of  Stevens.  Re- 
member that  you  can  look  back  through  twelve 
generations  to  the  ship  in  which  Columbus  sailed 
and  see  your  ancestor  Hernando  Estevan  among 
the  first  to  touch  the  soil  of  the  new  world.  Your 
grandfather  fought  under  Washington  for  this 
country.  Your  father  fought  under  General  Scott 
and  Andrew   Jackson  to   sustain   its  honor,    and 


THE  RECRUIT.  171 

your  brother  fought  to  humble  tlie  pride  of  the 
Mexicans.  Now,  if  Heaven  lias  decreed  that  you 
shall  fight  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  I 
shall  not  oppose  it.  Do  as  your  convictions  dic- 
tate; but  don't  forget  you  are  a  Stevens." 

Volunteer"  companies  in  Kentucky  at  this  time 
were  scarce.  There  was  not  one  at  this  time  or- 
ganized in  Boone  County,  and  Mark  was  compelled 
to  pass  over  the  river  and  enlist  in  an  Indiana 
company. 

Mark  learned  that  Captain  Hawk  was  recruiting 
a  company  in  Indiana,  just  across  the  river  near 
the  village  of  Eising  Sun.  He  determined  to  take 
the  first  opportunity  that  offered  and  enlist.  As- 
certaining the  day  of  muster,  he  went  across  the 
river. 

Rising  Sun  was  not  wholly  loyal.  In  fact, 
there  were  some  of  the  most  desperate  sympathizers, 
copperheads  and  rebels  in  the  southern  part  of 
Indiana  anywhere  to  be  found.  Entering  Rising 
Sun,  he  inquired  of  a  man  who  kept  a  grocery 
store  for  Captain  Hawk.  The  Rising  Sun  mer- 
chant gave  him  one  or  two  fiery  glances,  and 
answered : 

"  I  dun  know  where  he  is,  an'  I  care  less." 
"  Don't  they  muster  in  Rising  Sun?" 
"  Not  by  a  h — 1  of  a  sight !     If  they  want  their 
necks  stretched,  let  'em  try  it." 


172  UNION. 

Mark  turned  away  somewhat  discouraged,  when 
a  stranger  beckoned  him  aside. 

"  D'you  want  to  find  Captain  Hawk?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes;  I  heard  he  had  regular  muster  days,  and 
that  he  organizes  for  the  war. " 

"  D'you  want  to  enlist?" 

"Yes." 

"  Well  then,  if  you're  all  right,  I  will  tell  you 
something."  Mark  assured  him  he  was  all  right, 
and  the  stranger  said:  "  This  part  of  the  State  is 
pretty  nigh  all  secesh,  and  you've  got  to  look  out. 
Cap 'in  Hawk  musters  to-night  at  moonlight  at  the 
Kholmier  School  House. " 

"Where  is  that?" 

He  was  informed  it  was  in  the  forest  about  three 
miles  away,  but  if  he  would  meet  him  at  the  big 
bridge  in  the  west  part  of  town,  he  would  show 
him  to  it.  Mark  made  the  appointment  and  went 
at  nine  o'clock. 

The  moon  was  shining  brightly  from  a  clear 
sky,  and  he  found  the  stranger  standing  by  the 
bridge,  while  two  or  three  more  were  a  short  dis- 
tance away.  The  men  were  armed  with  shot  guns 
or  rifles  and  looked  more  like  a  party  of  hunters 
than  soldiers. 

"So  ye've  come,"  said  Mark's  first  acquaint- 
ance. 

"Yes." 


THE  RECRUIT.  173 

They  started  along  a  narrow,  lonesome  path, 
leading  through  the  wood,  and  Mark  at  times  en- 
tertained a  fear  that  they  might  be  enemies  leading 
him  into  a  snare.  Such  was  not  the  case,  how- 
ever, for  in  due  time  the  sehoolhouse  loomed  up 
before  them,  and  they  saw  fully  a  score  of  men 
sitting  or  standing  about  it.  They  were  mostly 
farmers.  Each  man  had  brought  a  gun  of  some 
kind,  the  rifle  prevailing.  Two  or  three  survivors 
of  the  Mexican  war  had  brought  their  old-fashioned 
yagers,  which  were  a  curiosity  to  those  unac- 
quainted with  military  arms. 

Bill  Simms,  who  had  never  seen  a  day's  service 
in  his  life,  was  holding  the  crowd  spellbound  with 
hair-raising  stories  of  the  trying  times  he  had  seen 
under  old  "  Gineral  Percy." 

"  It's  a  fact,"  said  Bill,  "  we  marched  for  a  hull 
week  on  only  three  meals  a  day,  and  had  nothin' 
but  bread,  beef  and  potatoes,  cabbage  and  beans 
at  that. " 

"It's  a  wonder  ye  hadn't  a  starved  to  death. 
Bill,"  remarked  Nick  Marks. 

"  I  tell  ye,  boys,  I  never  want  ter  see  sich  days 
as  them  agin." 

"  What  warye  fightin'?" 

"Injuns." 

The  appearance  of  the  group  to  which  Mark  be- 
longed put  an  end  to  the  discussion.      A  man  who 


174  UMON. 

looked  much  more  like  a  farmer  than  a  soldiei- 
came  forward,  and  was  introduced  as  Captain 
Hawk.  He  asked  Mark  if  he  came  to  enlist,  and 
Mark  answered  in  the  affirmative. 

"  Well,  we're  trying  to  get  up  a  company  here, 
but  hain't  got  it  full  yet.  Hope  we  will  soon. 
You  make  sixty-five.  If  they'll  take  us,  we'll 
go  right  off.  Some  say  Lincoln's  got  his  seventy- 
five  thousand  men;  but  they  won't  be  enough." 

Mark  signed  a  paper,  and  Captain  Hawk  went 
through  the  formality  of  swearing  him  into  service, 
though  his  authority  was  so  questionable  that 
afterward  they  were  again  "mustered  in."  The 
men  were  ordered  into  line,  and  stood  very  straight 
while  Captain  Hawk  harangued  them  for  a  few 
moments  on  loyalty,  and  the  necessity  of  securing 
thirty-five  more  volunteers  in  order  to  make  up 
the  company.  Almost  everybody  knew  of  some 
one  else  who  ought  to  join,  and  Captain  Hawk 
disbanded  them,  sending  each  man  as  a  "  recruiting 
officer  on  his  own  hook. " 

There  lived  in  Boone  County.  Kentucky,  not 
far  from  Major  Stevens,  a  man  named  Abe  Bolton. 
Abe  was  not  far  from  twenty-five,  and  a  loud- 
blowing  Unionist.  Mark  went  to  see  him  and  at 
the  next  muster  brought  Abe  along. 

To  the  surprise  of  all,  the  company  was  filled 
up,    and    everything    ready    to   move.      The  first 


THE  RECRUIT.  175 

move  was  on  Rising  Sun,  where  they  rendezvoused 
at  midnight,  formed  in  something  like  order,  and 
marched  away  to  Dearborn,  where  they  went  into 
camp. 

By  reading  general  history,  one  can  have  little 
knowledge  of  how  soldiers  are  made.  They 
seemed  to  spring  up  from  the  ground  as  it  were, 
at  the  order  or  proclamation  of  the  president, 
already  armed,  equipped,  drilled,  and  ready  to 
perform  prodigies  of  valor.  Such  was  not  the 
case  in  1861.  The  South  had  most  of  the  experi- 
enced officers.  The  American  regular  army  never 
amounts  to  much  in  either  peace  or  war,  and  when 
the  volunteers  were  mustered  into  service  they  had 
to  be  educated  in  the  art  of  war. 

At  Dearborn  the  company  was  organized  and 
the  men  drilled  in  platoons  and  squads.  The 
long  months  of  drilling  three  and  four  hours  per 
day,  the  inabilit}^  of  some  of  the  "  tangle  feet"  to 
get  the  step,  the  mysteries  of  the  manual  of  arms, 
all  engaged  the  attention  of  the  company.  Some 
had  drill  books  showing  the  various  positions  of 
the  soldier,  and  these  were  read  and  discussed  with 
avidity  by  the  men. 

They  were  quartered  in  old  houses,  but  at  night 
built  camp  fires  to  look  as  much  like  soldiers  as 
possible.  Among  the  many  curious  specimens  of 
the  genus  homo  belonging  to  the  company  was  a 


176  UNION. 

tall  youth  about  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of 
age,  who  answered,  when  the  roll  was  called,  to 
the  name  of  George  F.  Ellis;  but  the  sobriquet 
by  which  he  was  known  in  camp  was  "  Sis. "  This 
had  probably  been  given  hini  on  account  of  his 
beardless  face,  though  his  features  were  too  coarse 
to  be  feminine.  At  first  Sis  was  remarkably  bash- 
ful. He  was  a  tall,  slender,  awkward  youth 
dressed  in  a  striped  linsey  roundabout,  a  pair  of 
blue  jeans  trousers  and  a  low  cap,  the  peak  of 
which  did  not  protect  over  half  of  his  prominent 
nose. 

Sis  soon  became  the  butt  of  half  the  jokes  in 
the  company ;  but  he  had  the  good  sense  to  pre- 
serve his  humor,  and  possessing  some  native  wit, 
he  retaliated  on  his  persecutors,  until  they  came 
to  respect  him. 

Bill  Simms  was  the  most  persistent  persecutor 
of  Sis.  Bill  claimed  to  have  all  the  knowledge  of 
military  matters  there  was  to  learn,  and  the  stories 
he  told  were  calculated  to  raise  him  in  the  estimation 
of  the  volunteers.  At  last  after  long  waiting  the 
uniforms  and  blankets  came.  Every  volunteer  in 
1861  knows  what  a  scramble  there  was  for  uni- 
forms. They  could  hardly  wait  until  the  boxes 
were  open.  Blue  coats,  trousers  and  vests  with 
brass  buttons  and  caps,  were  jerked  out  at  a  lively 
rate.      The  misfits  were  laughable.      Sis  had  a  pair 


THE  RECRUIT. 


177 


of  pants  wliicli  came  little  below  the  knees,  and 
Bill  Simms  bawled  out: 

"  Hello,  Sis,  yer  must  think  yer  a  revolutionary 
soldier  wearin'  knee  breeches. '' 

"  These  pants  are  a  leetle  short, "  returned  Sis 
good  humoredly;  *'  but  they're  wide  enough  to  let 
out  the  slack. " 

"  Well,  may  be  ye  could  piece  'em." 

Mark  had  a  coat  large  enough  for  a  two-hundred- 
pounder;  but  Abe  Bolton  had  a  coat  and  pair  of 
pants  too  small,  so  that  by  trading  around,  Mark 
managed  to  get  something  like  a  fit.  When  he 
was  presentable  he  went  out  on  the  street  and 
roared  with  laughter  to  see  at  least  fifty  recruits  in 
the  most  ill-fitting  uniforms  he  ever  beheld  filing 
away  to  the  picture  gallery  to  have  their  pictures 
taken.  Many  of  those  tin -types  are  still  in  exist- 
ence. The  reader  may  have  met  them.  They 
represent  the  recruit,  in  a  coat  much  too  big, 
holding  a  cocked  revolver  in  one  hand  and  a  mus- 
ket in  the  other,  and  trying  to  look  very  fierce. 
They  were  sent  to  wives  and  sweethearts  to  let 
them  know  how  "  he"  looked  in  his  new  soldier 
clothes. 

"  I  wonder  when  we  are  goin'  to  git  out  o'  here 
and  be  givin'  the  secesh  a  race,"  said  Nick,  one 
evening. 

"Wall   now,  Nick,  ye   may   soon   git   more    o' 
12 


178  UNION. 

figbtin'  than  ye  want.  I  remember  duriu'  the  five 
years  I  was  with  Percy  o'  sayin'  once  just  what 
you  did.  Next  day  we  jumped  up  fifty  thousand 
Crows  an'  fit  the  whole  week." 

"  What  war  the  Crows  doin',  Bill?"  Sis  asked. 

"  Waitin'  to  grab  us  by  the  hair." 

"  Oh,  1  thought  they  were  a-pullin'  up  corn;" 

The  roar  of  laughter  which  followed  this  sally 
of  wit  Bill  Sirams  did  not  relish.  In  a  voice  of 
thunder,  he  responded : 

"I  mean  Crow  Injuns,  you  igiot!  Did  ye 
think  I  meant  birds?" 

"Yes." 

"So  did  we,  Bill." 

"  You're  all  as  big  fools  as  John  Barnhart.  We 
called  him  Knuckle  Bone  Johnny,  I  met  him 
durin'  the  ten  years  I  war  out  in  Pike's  Peak,  and 
he  couldn't  tell  the  difi'erence  between  a  Injun  and 
a  stump. " 

"How  long  were  you  at  Pike's  Peak?"  asked 
Sis. 

"  Igiot!  didn't  ye  just  hear  me  say  ten  years?" 

"  How  long  war  ye  with  Gineral  Percy?" 

"  Five. " 

"  How  long  on  Red  River?" 

'■  Eleven." 

■'  You  must  be  purty  old.  Bill,"  said  Sis. 

'•Why?" 


THE  RECRUIT.  179 

"  Your  ten  years  at  Pike's  Peak  and  five  years 
with  Gineral  Percy  makes  fifteen.  Eleven  on 
Eed  River  twenty-six;  and  four  on  White  River, 
thirty,"  Sis  went  on,  marking  on  the  ground 
with  his  finger.  "  Then  the  ten  on  Black  River, 
twenty  on  the  plains,  thirty  on  the  sea  and  all  the 
other  places  ye've  been,  makes  ye  about  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  years  old.  Bill." 

There  was  a  roar  of  laughter  at  this,  and  Bill, 
puffing  away  at  his  pipe,  coolly  remarked : 

"  I  guess  yeVe  made  some  mistake  there,  Sis." 

The  company  were  getting  fairly  well  drilled. 
Sis  was  perhaps  the  most  awkward.  He  could  not 
keep  step.  His  long  legs  rebelled  against  the 
regulation  twenty-eight  inches.  He  was  fully  as 
awkward  in  the  manual  of  arms,  in  wheeling  and 
facing  for  awhile,  and  the  drill  sergeant  who  took 
him  in  hand  to  give  him  some  private  lessons  was 
almost  in  despair. 

"  Now  look  here.  Sis.      This  is  yer  right  foot." 

"  Is  it?"   Sis  asked  innocently. 

"Yes,  and  when  I  say  'right,'  put  the  hollow 
o'  yer  left  foot  behind  yer  right  heel.  When  I 
saw  'face,'  raise  yourself  on  both  toes,  turn  half 
way  round  to  the  right,  raise  yer  left  foot,  bring, 
it  down  by  the  right,  and  there  you  are!" 

The  movement  looked  very  simple;  but  for  Sis 
to  perform  it  exactly  and  neatly  seemed  impossible. 


180  UNION. 

"  Heavens !  did  ever  anybody  see  such  tangle 
legs  as  you  have?  Why,  I'd  as  soon  try  to  teach 
a  daddy-long-legs  to  waltz  as  to  give  you  the 
movements  of  a  squad. " 

Mark  learned  very  rapidly,  for  he  had  the  ad- 
vantages of  an  excellent  education  and  a  retentive 
mind,  which  received  and  comprehended  the  orders. 
He  had  not  been  appointed  to  any  of  the  non-com- 
missioned offices ;  but  he  sought  no  such  appoint- 
ment. He  had  gone  into  the  service  fully  imbued 
with  the  idea  of  fighting  for  his  country,  and  he 
believed  that  the  best  way  to  do  it  was  with  a 
musket. 

While  lying  in  the  camp,  he  heard  of  the  bloody 
fight  and  defeat  at  Bull  Bun.  Then  came  still 
later  the  news  of  the  disaster  at  Wilson  Creek, 
with  the  loss  of  General  Lj^on,  a  loss  that  was 
sadly  felt,  as  he  could  not  be  replaced. 

The  fiery,  impetuous  General  John  C.  Fremont, 
a  good  explorer,  but  too  impetuous  and  hot-headed 
for  a  general,  was  placed  in  command  of  the  western 
army  with  his  headquarters  at  St.  Louis.  For  a 
while,  it  had  been  feared  that  this  city  would  be 
seized  by  the  enem}^ ;  but  Fremont  soon  had  it 
too  well  fortified  for  them  to  attempt  it.  Mean- 
while, Captain  Hawk's  company  had  been  placed 
in  a  regiment  and  ordered  back  to  Eising  Sun, 
The  southern  sympathizers  in  this  part  of  the  State 


THE  RECRUIT.  181 

were  very  bold  and  outspoken,  and  it  was  said  that 
rebels  were  coming  over  from  Kentucky  to  attack 
the  Yankees. 

Colonel  Belcher,  who  had  been  a  volunteer 
officer  in  the  Mexican  war,  was  a  man  of  more 
military  ability  than  many  of  his  superiors. 
Though  they  were  expected  to  stay  but  a  short 
time  at  the  place,  their  colonel  ordered  them  to 
entrench  and  prepare  against  an  attack.  He  laid 
out  a  line  of  earthworks,  and  pick  and  shovel  were 
plied  until  the  work  was  completed. 

"  I  tell  ye,  ye  needn't  fear  the  secesh,"  declared 
Abe  Bolton.      "  The3^'d  never  git  us  out  o'  here." 

This  recalled  to  Bill  Simms'  mind  some  remi- 
niscences of  his  experiences  with  General  Percy, 
and  he  set  about  telling  a  new  recruit  in  company 
A  a  story  that  almost  raised  his  hair  on  end. 

It  was  reported  after  the  work  was  completed 
that  the  enemy  were  contemplating  crossing  the 
river  at  Grummet's  landing  from  Kentuck}^  and 
attacking  them.  Mark  was  sent  with  Sis  and 
Nick  to  the  river  to  reconnoitre,  with  orders  to 
remain  all  night,  unless  the  enemy  appeared  sooner. 
It  was  no  pleasant  situation  with  two  raw  recruits, 
one  of  whom  (Nick)  was  especially  nervous,  wait- 
ing for  an  enem}^  reported  to  be  ten  thousand 
strong,  to  come  over  and  cut  their  throats. 

Nick  started  at  every  sound,  the  falling  of  a 


183  UNION. 

leaf,  or  dropping  of  a  clod  of  earth  in  the  water, 
and  exclaimed : 

"What  is  that?" 

On  the  other  hand,  Sis  lay  down  at  the  root  of 
a  tree  and  snored.  Between  keeping  one  awake 
and  the  other  from  running  away,  Mark  had  his 
hands  full,  and  lie  welcomed  the  approach  of  dawn 
with  delight.  Shortly  after  daylight  a  boat  was 
seen  to  put  out  from  the  opposite  shore,  and  Nick 
wanted  to  open  fire  on  it,  then  run  to  town  and 
tell  the  Colonel  they  were  coming. 

"  Say,  Nick,  I  believe  you're  a  blamed  coward,  " 
said  Sis,  rubbing  his  eyes  and  j-awning. 

"  No,  I'm  not;  I'm  as  brave  a  body  as  any  in 
the  regiment." 

"Yes;  but  you've  got  a  pair  o'  cowardly  legs, 
that  runs  away  at  first  sign  of  fight. " 

The  skiff  landed,  and  it  proved  to  contain  some 
loyal  Kentuckians,  whom  Mark  knew,  and  who 
came  to  inform  them  that  there  was  not  an  armed 
rebel  within  a  week's  march. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

LOVE    AND    EXCITEMENT. 

It  was  certainly  a  cause  for  congratulation  that 
from  the  first  to  the  last  the  war  had  its  humorous 
side,  and  that  in  the  southern  as  well  as  those 
northern  and  border  States,  even  in  the  midst  of 
greatest  trials,  their  spirits  were  never  so  crushed  as 
to  not  appreciate  the  reflex  view  of  their  misfor- 
tunes. From  their  very  necessities  the  most  absurd 
dilemmas  and  exigencies  arose  which  would  have 
been  annihilating  mortifications  had  they  not  had 
the  presence  of  mind  to  treat  them  as  capital  jokes. 
No  doubt  this,  and  this  only,  enabled  them  to 
endure  to  the  end  trials  and  disasters  which  other- 
wise would  have  been  overwhelming.  In  looking 
back  now  to  the  vicissitudes  of  the  struggle,  they 
confess  the  fact  that  they  never  neglected  a  single 
opportunity  for  amusement  which  the  situation 
admitted.  Being  a  child  during  the  struggle,  the 
author  visited  the  armies  of  the  Confederates  and 
Federals  without  fear  or  hindrance,  and  he  never 
saw  a  jollier  set.  Such  practical  jokes,  such 
183 


184  UXIOX. 

singing  and  dancing,  such  laughter — it  seemed 
more  ])lay  than  war.  Tlie  author  once  watched  a 
Confederate  army  retreating  from  a  lost  battle- 
field, and  most  of  the  soldiers  seemed  merry, 
jesting  over  their  own  defeat.  Even  some  of  the 
slightly  wounded  were  laughing  at  the  drollery  of 
others. 

Early  in  the  war  Colonel  Cole's  regiment  was 
removed  to  Richmond,  Virginia,  where  it  was 
thought  the  seat  of  the  Confederate  government 
would  be  established.  The  colonel's  wife  and 
daughter  accompanied  him,  and  thither  came  Alec, 
who,  after  Mark's  desertion  of  the  fair  prize,  be- 
gan to  woo  Elsie  in  earnest. 

Elsie  seemed  glad  to  have  the  young  Floridian 
with  her.  She  treated  him  sometimes  like  a  dear 
friend,  but  most  of  the  time  as  a  trusted  servant, 
a  real  good  fellow  whom  she  could  trust,  and  who 
was  absolutelv  indispensable  to  her  happiness;  but 
she  never  looked  on  him  in  the  light  of  a  lover. 
She  told  him  her  plans,  sent  him  on  errands,  had 
him  for  a  companion;  but  when  he  began  to  men- 
tion love,  she  laughed  outright. 

"  Elsie,  you  are  the  most  singular  person  I  ever 
saw.  You  must  be  a  new  and  unclassified  speci- 
men of  the  female  order " 

"Oh,  hush,  Alec  I  I  want  you  to  come  with 
me  to  the  lecture  room  at  St.  Paul's  this  evening. 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  185 

There  is  to  be  a  meeting  of  southern  girls  to  do 
what  they  can  for  the  army. '' 

He  looked  at  her  strangeh'  and,  giving  utterance 
to  a  prolonged  whistle,  rose  to  his  feet,  saying: 

''  AVell,  of  all  the  girls  I  ever  saw,  you  do  beat 
them.  I'll  go  and  join  the  army  and  let  the 
Yankees  shoot  me " 

"  If  it  is  such  an  irksome  undertaking,  I  will 
excuse  you. " 

''  Now,  Elsie,  why  do  you  say  that,  when  you 
know  that  I  am  never  so  happy  as  when  I  am 
your  slave?" 

"  But  I  don't  blame  you  if  you  join  the  arm3^ 
Every  lo3'al  son  of  the  South  should  fight  for  his 
country. " 

"  I  intend  to  serve  my  country.  Just  give  me 
time,  Elsie,  and  I  will  be  a  full-fledged  soldier." 

"  Well,  run  along  now,  Alec,  like  a  good  boy, 
and  play  soldier  with  a  broomstick  until  I  want 
you,"  and  she  gave  him  a  push  toward  the  door, 
laughing  in  a  way  that  vexed  poor  Alec. 

"  I  never  saw  any  one  who  could  so  completely 
get  away  with  me  as  she  can,"  he  said  as  he 
strolled  out  into  the  street.  "  I  declare  I  feel  just 
like  a  fool.  I  wish  I  was  a  thousand  miles  from 
here.  Sometimes  I  am  tempted  to  go  and  join  the 
Yankees  just  for  spite.  Why  didn't  I  go  to  Eng- 
land with  Dick?     Now  that  Mark's  gone,  I  don't 


186  UNION. 

seem  to  "be  any  nearer  to  the  prize  than  I  was  be- 
fore.    I've  a  notion  to  never  see  her  again." 

All  the  same  Alec  M'as  on  time  to  escort  Elsie  to 
the  lecture-room.  It  was  a  little  odd  for  a  young 
lady  to  ask  a  gentleman  to  be  her  escort,  and  it 
would  have  been  highly  improper  in  any  other  per- 
son than  the  pretty,  saucy,  jolly  Elsie  Cole.  Alec 
was  quite  sure  she  would  ask  no  one  but  himself. 

They  went  together  to  the  lecture-room  at  St. 
PauTs  Church,  where,  after  a  short  patriotic  ad- 
dress, the  ladies  were  asked  to  aid  in  making 
trousers  for  the  soldiers.  When  all  who  would 
sew  were  called  upon  to  rise,  Elsie  Cole  was  among 
the  first  to  spring  to  her  feet. 

"  Elsie,  Elsie,  haven't  you  made  a  mistake?" 
asked  Alec.  "  Why,  girl,  you  never  threaded  a 
needle  in  your  life.  " 

"  I  will  take  you  along  to  thread  my  needles. " 

"  No  you  won't,  by  ginger!  You  may  lead  me 
around  by  the  ear  like  a  poodle  dog;  I'll  drive 
your  coach,  make  your  bouquets,  sharpen  your 
lead  pencils,  give  you  my  coat  to  walk  upon,  run 
your  errands,  make  your  fires,  carry  you  across 
muddy  brooks,  fight  for  you,  lie  for  you,  steal  for 
you  ;  but  may  I  be  teetotally  thunderstruck,  dragged 
through  a  crab -apple  thicket,  and  squeezed  to  death 
in  a  cider-press,  if  I  am  going  to  any  female  sew- 
ing society." 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  187 

She  asserted  that  he  would  go  just  wherever  she 
wanted  him;  but  in  tliis  Alec  was  firm.  He 
vowed  his  intention  to  enlist  at  once,  and  next  day 
volunteered  in  a  company  of  infantry  ;  while  Elsie, 
who  had  scarcely  ever  had  a  needle  in  her  hands, 
went  to  show  her  patriotism  by  making  soldiers' 
trousers.  War  is  a  great  leveller.  There  were 
scarcely  any  grades  in  society  then.  Eich  and 
poor  labored  alike,  and  the  wife  of  a  poor  black- 
smith, who  had  enlisted  in  iVlec's  company,  gave 
Elsie  her  first  lesson  in  sewing.  She  bravely 
threaded  her  needle  and  set  to  work  upon  a  pair 
of  trousers.  Never  did  woman  have  a  more  diffi- 
cult task.  Nothing  but  the  lovely  rebel's  patri- 
otism for  a  cause  that  she  believed  just,  could 
have  induced  her  to  sew  away  for  hours.  She 
finally  presented  the  trousers  to  the  directress,  as 
she  thought  nearly  finished,  for  further  instructions. 
The  directress  looked  at  them  rather  gravely  for 
a  second,  turned  them  round  with'  a  furtive  smile, 
and  then,  to  Elsie's  horror  and  mortification,  held 
them  up  to  the  general  view.  A  shout  of  laughter 
went  up  from  the  busy  women  and  girls.  Elsie 
had  carefully  sewed  the  front  of  one  leg  to  the  back 
of  the  other,  and  so  joined  the  parts  in  a  most 
discordant  unity.  But  for  the  directress,  she  would 
doubtless  have  faced  them  down,  put  on  the  buttons 
and  sent  them  off  to  camp,  when,  alas!  the  poor 


188  UNION. 

fellow  to  whom  they  fell  must  evidently  have 
marched  two  ways  at  once  in  order  to  wear  them,  for 
as  they  hung  in  mid-air,  the  legs  seemed  to  step  out 
in  opposite  directions,  and  if  the  wearer  had  gone 
persistently  forward,  one  leg  of  those  trousers 
would  have  stayed  behind.  Amid  the  peals  of 
laughter  which  overwhelmed  Elsie  with  confusion, 
a  voice  from  the  window  cried : 

"  I  pity  the  fellow  who  wears  those  pants,  Elsie; 
he'd  have  to  advance  and  retreat  at  the  same  time, 
which  would  be  a  little  inconvenient."  Turning 
her  eyes  toward  the  window,  Elsie  saw  Alec,  lean- 
ing his  elbows  on  the  window-sill  with  a  trium- 
phant smile  on  his  face.  She  "  flashed  up"  in  a 
moment  and  declared : 

"  Alec  Stevens,  I  warrant  that  I  know  as  much 
about  sewing  as  you  do  about  soldiering." 

"I  don't  know,  little  girl;  I  would  not  try  to 
march  two  ways  at  once. " 

She  ordered  him  away,  and  he,  like  a  willing 
slave,  obeyed.  That  evening  he  went  to  see  Elsie 
and  found  her  with  her  hand  tied  up.  She  had 
pricked  her  fingers  until  they  were  quite  sore,  and 
declared  that  she  was  among  the  first  martyrs  to 
the  southern  cause.  Alec  stuck  his  hands  very 
deep  into  his  pockets,  and  tried  to  look  very  brave 
and  dignified  in  his  new  uniform;  but  he  didn't. 

"I  declare  I  feel  just  like  a  fool,"  he  thought. 


.,i:\'^f;rr^-r-,<-V-«^--'' . 


'I  PITY    THE    FELLOW    WHO    WEAHS    THOrSE    PANTji.   ELSIE;    HE'LL   HAVE   TO  ADVANCE 
AND    RETREAT    AT    THE    ^^AME    TIME." 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  189 

At  last  lie  managed  to  recall  a  part  of  the  pretty 
speech  he  had  been  all  day  making  up,  and  began: 
"  Elsie,  I  have  something  that  I  want  to  say  to 
you." 

"I  know  what  it  is,"  she  interrupted.  "You 
want  to  pity  me,  Mr.  Alec,  for  having  pricked  my 
fingers  with  the  needle.  You  may  suggest  that  if 
I  had  learned  to  sew  before  I  came  to  Richmond, 
I  would  not  be  wounded  and  in  pain  now.  Very 
well,  Mr.  Alec,  it  is  none  of  j^our  business." 

"  Oh,  Elsie,  don't  fly  to  flinders  that  way. 
Who  in  the  name  of  Tom  Walker's  ghost  is  say- 
ing anything  about  sewing?  I  suspect  that  you 
do  as  well  as  a  good  many  others,  who  never  tried 
to  work  before;  but  what  I  wanted  to  say  was — 
was " 

"  Was  what?     Can't  you  speak?" 

"  Not  when  you  keep  interrupting  me.  I  want 
to  say  something  of  importance,  of  great  impor- 
tance, and  I  don't  want  you  to  say  'no.'" 

"Then  don't  say  it." 

"Oh,  Elsie!" 

"  It  will  be  safest  not  to  say  anything." 

"  Don't  talk  that  way.     Mark  is  gone  now " 

"  Well,  what  can  that  have  to  do  with  what  you 
are  going  to  say,  Alec?"  she  asked,  turning  her 
pretty  face  on  him. 

"  Why,  you  see,  Elsie, "  said  Alec  with  his  gaze 


190  UNION. 

riveted  on  the  floor,  "  I  liked  Mark ;  he  was 
more  than  a  brother  to  me ;  and  when  he  came, 
and  I  saw  that  he  loved  you,  I  said  nothing.  I 
left  the  whole  field  to  him.  It  almost  killed  me; 
but  I  did.  He  was  a  dear,  noble,  good  fellow, 
and  I  knew  he  was  more  worthy  of  you  than  a 
wild,  harum-scarum,  good-for-nothing  scamp  like 
me.  So  1  gave  him  a  free  field ;  but  he  went 
away  without  telling  you  how  he  loved  you.  He 
has  joined  the  Yankees,  and  we  will  never  see  him 
again,  and  now  that  the  field  is  clear,  I  want  to  tell 
you  how  I  love  you,  Elsie;  but  you  must  know 
it " 

"Hush!"  she  cried,  so  sharply  that  he  started 
back  in  alarm.  "  Alec  Stevens,  you  should  be 
above  such  nonsense.  This  is  no  time  to  talk  of 
love.  If  you  are  a  soldier,  you  belong  to  your 
country,  and  to  none  other." 

She  had  risen  to  her  feet,  her  face  had  suddenly 
become  white  as  marble,  while  her  breath  came  in 
fitful  labored  gasps.  For  a  moment  she  gazed  on 
him  in  silence,  and  then,  turning  coldly  about,  she 
glided  silently  from  the  room.  Alec  gazed  after 
her  retreating  form  and  scratching  his  puzzled 
head,  dashed  on  his  cap  and  left  the  house,  de- 
claring : 

"  That  woman  beats  thunder.  She  makes  me 
feel  just  like  a  fool." 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  191 

When  next  they  met,  she  was  the  same  superior 
but  kind  being  of  yore.  So  long  as  he  did  not 
approach  that  most  vital  of  all  subjects  to  him, 
love,  she  seemed  to  like  him  as  a  lad}^  of  fashion 
does  her  pet  poodle,  or  a  trusty  faithful  servant. 
All  this  was  gall  and  bitterness  to  the  proud  Alec. 

The  first  movement  of  the  military  in  Virginia, 
momentous  as  it  then  appeared,  was  the  most  ab- 
surd fiasco  of  the  war.  It  was  on  a  memorable 
Sabbath,  April  21,  1861,  that  the  alarm  bell  at 
the  capitol  sounded  at  mid-day  its  first  call  to 
arms.  The  churches  were  crowded,  and  the  com- 
munion was  about  to  be  administered,  when  the 
dread  sounds  smote  upon  the  air.  In  an  instant 
all  was  confusion ;  congregations  rose  en  masse  and 
ran  into  the  streets ;  delicate  women  shrieked  and 
fainted  ;  children  were  knocked  down  and  trampled 
on;  while  one  and  all  in  breathless  excitement  de- 
manded an  explanation.  It  was  quickly  given. 
Dispatches  had  been  received  by  the  governor  of 
Virginia  (Mr.  John  Letcher)  that  the  United  States 
warship  Pmvnee  was  moving  up  the  river  to  shell 
the  city.  Hundreds  of  soldiers,  who  might  be 
compared  to  Falstaff's  band  of  warriors,  were 
marched  down  to  Rockets  to  meet  this  terrifying 
vanguard  of  the  United  States  nav}'.  Two  old 
bronze  cannon  that  had  done  service  in  no  telling 
how  manv  Fourth-of-Julv  celebrations  were  started 


133  UNION. 

down  Main  Street  at  a  run.  One  broke  down  in 
front  of  the  Post  Office,  and  was  abandoned,  while 
they  hurried  on  with  the  other;  and  every  man 
and  boy  in  Richmond,  clergy  and  all,  indiscrimi- 
nately armed  with  pistols,  shotguns,  rifles,  swords, 
and  even  clubs,  were  hurrying  to  the  seat  of  war. 
Alec,  with  a  double-barrelled  shotgun  in  one  hand 
and  a  pitchfork  in  the  other,  joined  the  rabble. 

Left  to  themselves,  the  women  and  children 
next  took  up  the  line  of  march  and  flocked  by 
thousands  to  the  brow  of  Church  Hill,  immediately 
overlooking  the  river,  in  which  position  they  must 
inevitably  have  received  the  full  force  of  the  bom- 
bardment, had  there  been  one.  The  city  was  in  a 
tumult,  and  the  wildest  confusion  prevailed  until 
twilight,  when  it  was  ascertained  that  the  alarm 
was  wholly  unfounded. 

Alec  Stevens  was  slowly  making  his  way  back 
to  the  city,  his  gun  on  his  shoulder  and  his  hay- 
fork in  his  hand,  when  a  voice  called  out  from 
the  stream  of  women  and  children  pouring  into 
town : 

"  Alec,  Alec,  what  have  you  been  doing  with 
that  hayfork?" 

The  merry  voice  was  familiar,  and  through  the 
gathering  shades  of  twilight  he  saw  the  lovely  face 
of  Elsie  Cole,  gleaming  like  a  ray  of  sunlight  in 
the  sombre  shadows. 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  193 

"  I  was  going  to  tight  the  Yankees, ''  he  answered. 
A  scream  of  laughter  went  up  from  a  dozen  girls, 
and  Elsie,  finally  getting  control  of  her  merriment, 
said: 

"  So,  you  propose  to  fight  men-of-war  with  a 
hayfork!" 

"  Oh,  confound  it,  Elsie,  why  do  you  make 
sport  of  everything  I  do?"  cried  Alec,  throwing 
his  fork  into  the  river,  and  walking  home  at  her 
side,  quarrelling  all  the  way. 

The  Pawnee  did,  at  some  time  during  her  opera- 
tions in  Virginia,  ascend  the  James  Eiver  to  a 
point  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles  below  Richmond ; 
but  at  the  moment- the  citizens  of  the  Confederate 
capital  M'ere  rushing  en  masse  to  fight  her  she 
was  lying  harmlessly  at  rest,  and  the  telegram 
sent  from  Norfolk  was  said  to  refer  to  Elizabeth 
River. 

The  retreat  of  the  valiant  army  from  the  blood- 
less battle-iield  was  very  droll,  and  those  whose 
patriotic  eyes  had  actually  descried  the  dread 
man-of-war,  and  had  been  able  through  their 
glasses  to  detect  her  movements,  were  naturally  a 
little  "  touchy"  on  the  subject,  which,  however, 
did  not  exempt  them  from  the  merciless  raillery  of 
their  companions.  Neither  Burnside,  McClellan, 
nor  Grant,  with  their  "grand  armies,"  ever  occa- 
sioned so  great  a  panic  in  the  Confederate  capital, 
13 


194  UNION. 

Later  on,  the  inhabitants  of  Richmond  grew  more 
accustomed  to  war's  alarms,  and  could  lie  down 
and  sleep  with  the  cannon  of  the  enemy  thunder- 
ing at  their  gates. 

Those  were  the  gala  days  of  the  war.  The 
ladies  were  full  of  ardor,  and  spent  their  time  sew- 
ing on  the  clothes  of  the  soldiers.  Love  affairs 
were  plentiful ;  but  the  girls  postponed  all  engage- 
ments until  their  lovers  had  fought  the  Yankees. 
Their  influence  was  very  great.  Dav  after  day 
they  went  in  crowds  to  the  fair  grounds,  where 
the  First  South  Carolina  volunteers  were  encamped, 
showering  upon  them  smiles  and  such  delicacies  as 
the  city  could  afford.  There  were  young  men 
worth  from  one  hundred  thousand  to  half  a  million 
dollars  in  that  regiment,  serving  as  privates. 

The  camps  of  instruction  were  crowded  with 
soldiers.  The  cadets  from  the  Virginia  military 
institute,  rendered  good  service  as  drill-masters. 
The  Maryland  boys  began  to  gather  into  compa- 
nies in  Richmond  and  to  form  the  Maryland  line. 
South  Carolina  sent  her  braves,  Louisiana  her 
magnificent  "Washington  artiller}',"  superbly 
equipped.  From  the  Lone  Star  State  came  her 
rangers,  and  as  the  different  banners  floated  in  the 
air  at  the  head  of  their  columns,  they  cheered  to 
the  echo.  In  all  the  excitement  attending  the 
marshalling  of  the  clans  from  the  sunnv  land,  Mars 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  195 

and  Cupid  clasped  hands,  and  many  a  bud  of  love 
was  then  first  blown,  which,  ere  it  proved  a 
beauteous  flower,  was  twined  in  a  funeral  wreath. 

There  was  no  more  ardent  lover  among  those 
southern  soldiers  than  honest,  good-hearted,  but 
reckless  Alec ;  whose  ill-starred  fate  is  only  another 
exemplification  of  the  proverb  that  the  course  of 
true  love  does  not  always  run  smooth.  Alec, 
temporarily  offended  at  some  slight  on  the  part  of 
Elsie,  strolled  off  to  camp,  and  sat  down  at  the 
root  of  a  tree,  heartily  wishing  that  the  Yankees 
would  come  up  and  put  him  out  of  his  misery. 
A  group  of  Kentucky  soldiers  who  had  been  quar- 
tered near  attracted  his  attention  by  their  peculiar 
quarrel.  It  was  quite  evident  that  prior  to  enlist- 
ment they  had  been  farmers  in  the  bottom  regions 
of  Kentucky,  where  ignorance  and  poverty  pre- 
vailed. Of  the  four  principals  in  the  animated 
discussion  he  soon  learned  that  one  was  named 
Long,  one  Brown,  one  Jones  and  another  Smith. 
The  conversation  seemed  to  grow  out  of  some  re- 
marks about  the  drought  which  prevailed  in  the 
month  of  May  in  Virginia. 

"  Don't  rain  putty  soon,  everything '11  be  burnt 
bodaciously  up, "  remarked  Brown,  as  he  fingered 
a  deck  of  greasy  cards.  "  Hain't  had  'nuff  rain 
fur  three  weeks  ter  lay  the  dust. " 

"  Hain't  had  nuff  ter  lay  an  egg,"  put  in  Long. 


196  UAION. 

At  this  there  was  a  roar  of  laughter,  and  Jones 
remarked : 

"  Ef  I  could  say  as  many  funny  things  as  Long, 
ye  wouldn't  ketch  me  in  the  army;  dinged  ef  I 
didn't  go  to  town  an'  practise  law.  Bet  I'd  win 
every  case.      Why  didn't  you  do  it,  Long?" 

"  Feered  I  mought  hatter  whup  somebody. 
Never  did  like  ter  fight.  It's  too  much  like  hard 
work  ter  suit  me.  " 

"  Sensible,  thar,  dinged  ef  you  ain't.  I  had  a 
fight  once,  an'  afo'  I  got  through,  wush  I  may  die 
ef  I  didn't  think  I  wuz  breakin'  a  yoke  ov  steers," 
remarked  private  Brown. 

"  Ur  that  tother  feller  war  a-whuppin'  a  calf," 
put  in  Long,  which  produced  another  roar. 

"  Jes'  so;  but  I  give  him  a  mighty  good  tussle. 
Who's  got  that  canteen?" 

"  Here  she  is,"  said  Smith. 

"  Wall,  send  her  on  th'  warmin'  rounds  of 
charity  agin,"  returned  Brown. 

"  Calls  it  charity,  I  reckin,  'cause  it  didn't  cost 
him  nuthin',"  the  witty  Long  remarked. 

"  Eeckin  it  cost  me  about  ez  much  ez  it  did 
you.  Wall  here's  at  you,  dod  rot  you,  had  never 
seed  you,  would  never  a  toch  you,"  and  after  a 
drink  Brown  added,  "  Boys,  that's  poetry." 

"  'Tain't  as  strong  as  the  licker, "  asserted  Smith. 

"  Nur  as  good,"  said  Long. 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  197 

"  But  jist  as  free,  "  declared  Brown. 

"  Things  that  are  bad  are  ginerally  free.  Flat 
terbacker  costs  money,  but  jou  can  git  the  chills 
for  nothin'." 

"  An'  ter  git  well  is  good.  You've  got  ter  pay 
for  that. " 

"  Er  man  pays  mighty  dear  fur  bein'  sick.  Last 
fall  I  tuk  sick  standin'  at  the  'lection  poles,  an' 
it  cost  me  five  dollars. " 

"  Guess  it  was  th'  result  of  th'  'lection  made 
ye  sick." 

"Let's  all  lickerl"  They  did  so,  and  the  con- 
tents of  the  canteen  began  to  show  its  effects  on 
them. 

"  Bet  thar  ain't  a  mess  in  th'  regiment  whar  th' 
soldiers  are  so  good  humored,"  said  Smith. 

"Bet  so  too,"  added  Brown.  "Hain't  had  a 
fight  since  I  enlisted. " 

"  That's  cause  everybody  knows  ye.  Brown,  I 
reckin  you  air  about  th'  best  man  in  th'  com- 
pany," suggested  Long,  ironically. 

"  Reckin  not.  Don't  think  I  am  ez  good  a  man 
ez  you  are. " 

"  Didn't  you  outlift  me  at  Fergurson's  log 
roUin'?"  asked  Long. 

"No,  don't  think  I  did." 

"  I  hearn  you  did. " 

"  I  don't  know  who  told  it. " 


198  UNION. 

"  I  hearn  you  did. " 

"  You  hearn  sometliiu'  that  ain't  so.  I  don't  go 
round  blowin'  my  own  ho'n." 

"  Wall,  somebody's  been  blowin'  it." 

"  'Twarn't  me." 

"  Guess  you  furnished  a  good  deal  uv  th'  wind." 

'*  Come,  boys,  let's  licker  an'  then  sing  a  song," 
interposed  Jones  to  prevent  trouble.  They  all 
drank,  and  Smith,  wlio  was  a  tall  man,  said: 

"  A  leetle  o'  that  goes  a  long  way. " 

"  Does  when  you  swaller  it,  cause  it  hez  a  long 
ways  to  go,"  remarked  Brown. 

"  That  remark  was  about  ez  sharp  ez  a  cabbage, " 
Long  declared. 

"  All  remarks  in  shape  of  cabbages  should  come 
from  your  head .  " 

"I'druther  be  a  fresh  cabbage,  than  an  old 
bellows. " 

"Who's  a  old  bellows?" 

"  A  man  what  goes  round  tellin'  how  much  he 
can  lift. " 

"There  ain't  no  ill  wind  in  the  truth,"  Brown 
declared. 

"  But  thar  ain't  no  truth  in  th'  wind  you  blow," 
Long,  quite  exasperated,  replied. 

"Wall,  now,  ef  you  are  still  harpin'  on  that 
log-rollin',  I  want  to  say  right  here,  afore  all  these 
gentlemen,  that  I  did  outlift  you.      When  you  an' 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  199 

me  was  under  the  same  handspike,  at  the  end  of 
th'  old  sycamore  log,  you  come  mighty  nigh 
cavin'." 

"  Here,  boys,  this  has  gone  fur  enough.  Let's 
licker,"  interposed  Smith,  and  again  the  canteen 
was  passed  as  a  peace  offering.  But  Brown  was 
by  no  means  satisfied,  and  after  smacking  his  lips, 
he  mopped  his  florid  brow,  and  ironically  remarked : 

"  It  ain't  agin  the  arm}^  regulations  to  tell  the 
truth." 

"  Ef  it  was,  you'd  not  be  court  martialled  for 
violation  of  th'  rules,"  growled  Long. 

"  An'  ef  every  coward  was  drummed  out  o"  th' 
service,  you'd  be  hoin'  co'n  in  Kentucky." 

"You're  a  liar." 

At  this  the  angrj-  Kentuckians  flew  at  each 
other,  and  the  blows  were  flying  fast  and  reckless, 
when  their  two  half-tipsy  companions,  aided  by 
Sergeant  Bragg  of  the  same  company,  tore  them 
asunder. 

"  What  air  you'uns  quarrellin'  about?"  the  ser- 
geant asked. 

The  malefactors  stood  panting  and  silent  with 
downcast  eyes,  while  Smith  explained  that  the 
casus  belli  was  over  which  had  outlifted  the  other 
at  the  Fergurson  log-rolling  last  fall. 

"  Why,  yon  dinged  fools,  you  warn't  neither  of 
you  at  the  log-rollin',"  declared  the  sergeant. 


200  UMON. 

Brown  and  Long  exchanged  glances,  and  the 
former  remarked : 

"  Come  to  think  of  it,  I  war  at  town  that  day, 
and  got  drunk  afo'  noon.     Guess  I  didn't  go." 

"  An'  now  I  come  to  think,  I  had  the  chills,  an' 
never  left  the  house,"  returned  Long.  The  bel- 
ligerents shook  hands,  all  took  a  drink,  and  next 
moment  all  were  singing  the  "  Old  Folks  at  Home. " 

On  the  20th  of  May,  the  Confederate  govern- 
ment was  removed  to  Richmond,  and  a  few  days 
after  that,  there  was  an  immense  popular  furore 
over  the  arrival  of  the  president.  The  presidential 
mansion,  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Clay  streets, 
now  a  public-school  building,  had  not  been  pro- 
cured, and  the  president  and  his  family  were  tem- 
porarily provided  for  at  the  Spotswood  Hotel.  An 
immense  concourse  of  people  assembled  at  the 
depot  and  thronged  the  streets  leading  to  the  hotel. 
On  the  way  numbers  of  bouquets  were  thrown  or 
handed  into  the  carriage.  One  thrown  by  a  pretty 
little  child  fell  just  a  short  distance  from  it,  and 
Mr.  Davis  stopped  the  carriage,  got  out  and  }iicked 
it  up  amid  tremendous  applause.  That  night 
there  was  a  serenade,  and  Mr.  Davis  spoke  briefly 
from  the  window  of  the  hotel.  Alec,  who  had 
come  from  the  camp  to  escort  Elsie  to  the  scene, 
managed  to  get  himself  and  his  fair  companion 
near  enough  to  see  and  hear  the  president. , 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT. 


201 


Mr.  Davis  was  at  that  time  a  man  of  very  strik- 
ing appearance,  tall,  lithe  and  graceful,  straight 
as  an  Indian,  dignified  and  reposed  in  manner,  but 
without  hauteur.  His  address  was  scarce  more 
than  an  acknowledgment  of  the  enthusiastic  wel- 
come and  a  word  of  encour- 
agement. He  was  followed 
by  Senator  Wigfall  of  Texas, 
General  Henry  A.  Wise  and 
others. 

During  the  speaking,  Mrs. 
Davis  was  discovered  near  the 
parlor  window,  and  was  vo- 
ciferously and  persistently 
cheered,  until  she  advanced 
to  the  window  and  acknowl- 
edged the  compliment  by  bow- 
ing to  the  immense  concourse  assembled  to  wel- 
come her.  She  was  of  commanding  height,  with 
dark  hair,  eyes  and  complexion,  with  strongly 
marked  and  expressive  mouth.  It  was  a  line  face, 
indicative  of  intellect,  energy,  and  strength  of 
character,  yet  beautifully  softened  by  the  gentle 
expression  of  her  dark,  earnest  eyes.  Her  man- 
ners were  kind,  graceful  and  affable,  her  conversa- 
tional powers  brilliant,  and  her  receptions,  which 
Elsie  attended,  were  characterized  by  a  dignity 
very    properly    belonging    to    the    drawing-room 


Jeff  Davis. 


202  UNION. 

entertainments  of  the  chief  magistrate  of  a  re- 
public. 

As  Alec  was  conducting  Elsie  home  that  even- 
ing, he  overheard  a  voice  near  him  in  the  crowd 
saying : 

"  Yaas,  we  war  'bout  ter  fight,  Long  an'  me, 
'boat  liftin'  at  th'  log-rollin'  at  Fergurson's  last 
fall,  an'  then  come  ter  find  'at  neither  one  o'  us 
war  there  at  all,  huh,  huh,  huh,  huh!" 

In  the  speaker,  Alec  recognized  one  of  the  Ken- 
tuckians  whose  humorous  quarrel  he  had  overheard 
a  short  time  before. 

Military  discipline  soon  put  a  stop  to  the  fre- 
quent visits  of  Alec  to  the  home  of  Elsie.  Leave 
of  absence  was  hard  to  obtain,  and  he  began  to  see 
much  less  of  the  fair  damsel  than  was  agreeable  to 
the  lovesick  swain.  Alec  soon  realized  his  mis- 
take in  not  starting  into  the  service  as  a  commis- 
sioned officer.  It  is  a  long  and  hard  road  to  climb 
from  a  knapsack  to  shoulder-straps. 

His  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  front.  By 
June  1,  1861,  there  had  been  some  skirmishing, 
and  the  two  armies  were  preparing  for  the  great 
struggle  which  was  soon  to  commence.  West 
Virginia  had  refused  to  secede,  and  there  was 
already  talk  of  forming  a  new  State  out  of  the  ter- 
ritory west  of  the  mountains.  General  Robert  E. 
Lee  was  made  commander  of  the  Confederate  army 


LOVE  AXD  EXCITEMENT.  203 

of  Virginia,  while  General  George  B.  McClellan 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  department  of  the 
Ohio. 

Alec's  regiment  left  Eichmond,  May  26th,  and 
the  young  soldier,  unaccustomed  to  such  hardships, 
gloomily  trudged  along  the  dusty  road  with  his 
gun  on  his  shoulder. 

They  camped  on  the  banks  of  a  stream.  He 
never  knew  the  name  of  it  nor  did  he  ever  know 
why  the  regiment  halted  there  for  almost  two 
weeks.  Thousands  of  rumors  were  floating  in  the 
air  and  more  than  two-thirds  of  them  were  be- 
lieved. Steel -clothed  Yankees,  with  bristling 
horns,  were  said  to  be  just  beyond  the  hills,  ad- 
vancing to  cut  them  to  pieces.  Mark  took  his 
first  turn  on  picket  duty.  Perhaps  there  is  noth- 
ing more  trying  on  the  nerves  of  a  raw  recruit, 
than  midnight  duty  on  a  solitary  picket  post. 
But  Alec  had  left  Elsie  in  a  huff,  and  declared  he 
hoped  the  Yankees  would  kill  him,  so  it  did  not 
make  much  difference  whether  he  was  killed  on 
picket,  or  in  line  of  battle;  but  when  the  captain 
called  him  to  his  tent  and  gave  him  his  final  in- 
structions before  going  to  his  post.  Alec  felt  his 
blood  congeal.  The  captain  sought  to  impress  on 
his  mind  that  the  post  was  important,  the  danger 
imminent,  and  the  foe  near.  If  attacked  he  was 
to  fire  and  fall  back  on  the  reserves.      He  was  to 


204  UMON. 

be  on  the  alert  for  an  ambuscade  or  some  trick  of 
the  enemy.  Above  all  things,  he  was  to  remem- 
ber that  the  safety  of  the  regiment,  the  army,  and 
the  Southern  Confederacy  depended  on  his  vigi- 
lance. 

Although  Alec  thought  the  officer  overdoing  the 
matter  a  little,  the  great  responsibility  made  him 
exceedingly  nervous.  A  more  drear,  wilder  or 
lonelier  place,  could  not  have  been  found,  and  Alec 
declared : 

"  Hang  me  if  I  could  find  my  way  back  to 
camp,  if  I  was  attacked. " 

Alec  never  realized  what  it  was  to  be  alone  on 
picket  before,  until  he  found  himself  alone  on  this 
dreary  post,  with  the  blackest  of  nights  gathered 
all  about  him.  A  melancholy  breeze  was  abroad, 
and  the  rustling  leaves  seemed  moved  by  the  wings 
of  ghosts.  Black  clouds  thickened  in  the  sky, 
shutting  out  the  faint  light  of  the  stars  and  leav- 
ing all  plutonian  darkness.  Alec  seemed  all  of  a 
sudden  to  feel  that  he  was  alone,  and  helpless, 
with  an  enemy  in  front  who  was  probably  at  tliat 
very  moment  creeping  foi'ward  to  stab  him  dead 
at  his  post.  Retreat  was  utterly  impossible,  and 
for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  he  began  to  feel  all 
the  pangs  of  fear.  Naturally  Alec  was  brave; 
but  he  was  unacquainted  with  war  and  danger, 
and  this  new  experience  had  been  thrust  on  him 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  205 

so  suddenly,  and  with  such  little  preparation,  that 
he  was  seized  with  the  strange  and  unknown  sen- 
sation of  dread. 

Alone  with  the  dark  night,  the  forest  all  about 
him,  not  a  companion  to  whom  he  might  whisper 
a  word  of  consolation,  or  hope, — no  wonder  he 
began  to  quake  with  fear.  At  times  the  silence 
was  so  deafening,  and  the  darkness  so  appalling 
that  he  felt  as  if  he  must  cry  out  in  his  agony. 
Not  even  a  night  bird  fluttered  by,  not  an  owl 
uttered  its  thrilling  hoot,  nor  the  mournful  cr}^  of 
the  coon  reached  his  ears.  All  was  silence,  deep, 
awful  silence.  It  seemed  as  if  an  icy  blast  from 
off  some  frozen  river  had  suddenly  struck  him, 
causing  his  form  to  tremble  with  an  unknown  sen- 
sation, while  he  grasped  his  musket  with  an 
energy  of  despair. 

He  stood  near  a  small  oak,  and  at  last  leaning 
against  it,  tried  to  hum  a  tune  in  order  to  convince 
himself  that  he  was  not  scared.  His  own  voice 
seemed  to  sound  hoarse  and  uimatural,  and  though 
he  did  not  hum  above  his  breath,  it  went  out  on 
the  air,  like  the  boom  of  a  cannon,  as  if  its  rever- 
berations would  never  cease. 

At  last  he  heard  an  awful  tread.  It  was  a 
stealthy,  terrible,  tramping  sound,  moving  slowly 
and  cautiously  through  the  bushes,  like  some  giant 
rifleman  creeping  forward  to  slay  him.     At  first 


206  UNION. 

he  thought  his  ears  were  deceiving  him;  but  at 
last  he  became  convinced  that  there  could  be  no 
mistake.  He  could  hear  the  bushes  parting  care- 
fully, as  if  a  man  were  pushing  them  aside  with 
his  hands  to  thrust  the  barrel  of  his  gun  forward, 
in  order  to  make  a  sure  shot  at  the  guard. 

In  the  first  trans}iorts  of  his  dread,  Alec  thought 
to  fly,  but  having  forgotten  the  direction  to  the 
camp,  he  knew  that  he  was  as  liable  to  run  right 
into  the  arms  of  the  enemy.  Then  his  heart  be- 
gan to  palpitate,  his  hair  stood  on  end,  and  his 
knees  tottered;  his  thoughts  teemed  with  presages 
of  death  and  destruction ;  his  conscience  rose  up 
in  judgment  against  him,  and  he  underwent  a 
severe  paroxj'sm  of  dismay  and  distraction. 

In  that  awful  moment,  poor  Alec  remembered 
his  misspent  life,  his  many  sins,  and  fully  realized 
how  uniit  such  a  wild,  harum-scarum  fellow  as  he 
was  to  appear  at  the  bar  of  eternal  justice,  and  yet 
here  was  a  whole  army  of  Yankees  creeping  for- 
ward to  blow  him  into  eternity.  Appreciating 
the  uncertainty  of  life,  and  the  certainty  of  death, 
lie  for  the  first  time  entertained  serious  thoughts 
of  preparation  for  the  latter.  He  sank  on  his 
knees  and  tried  to  pray,  but  "  Now  I  lay  me 
down  to  sleep"  was  all  that  he  could  think  of  at 
that  moment,  which  in  the  least  resembled  a 
prayer.      From  one  extreme  of  fear  he  rushed  to 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT. 


307 


another.      His  last  desperate  idea  was  to  fire  and 
run.      He  knew  not  where  he  would  run,  nor  what 
would  be  the   result  of 
the  flight ;  but  he  deter- 
mined to  run. 

At  this  moment  the 
clouds  parted,  and  the 
pale  lambent  glow  of  a 
star,  dimly  lighting  the 
scene,  fell  upon  a  spot 
in  the  bushes  where  they 
had  been  separated  and 
he  saw  a  pair  of  slender 
objects,  which  to  his 
heightened  imagi- 
nation, might  be 
either  swords  or 
bayonets,  pointed 
directly  at  his 
breast,  ready  to 
slay  him.  Nerved 
with  an  energy  of 
despair,  he  took  a 
hasty  aim  and 
pulled  the  trigger.  There  was  a  stunning  report, 
and  Alec  was  sent  heels  over  head  by  the  recoil  of 
the  musket,  into  a  thorn  bush. 

Scratched,  torn   and    bleeding,   he  crawled  out 


Now  I  LAY  ME  DOWN  TO  SLEEP,"  WAS 
COULD  THINK  OF. 


208  UNION. 

from  bis  uncomfortable  position,  and  ran  as  fast 
as  bis  legs  could  carry  bim,  sbouting: 

"  To  arms !  to  arms !  tbe  foe !  tbe  foe ! " 

More  by  good  luck  tban  judgment,  bis  mad 
fligbt  took  bim  in  tbe  direction  of  tbe  camp,  wbere 
be  found  tbe  long  roll  beating,  and  men  falling 
into  ranks.  Guards  came  burrying  in  from  otber 
points,  and  tbe  brass  six-pound  cannon  was  loaded. 

Alec  was  running  up  and  down  tbe  line,  wildly 
yelling  "  To  arms!"  wben  bis  captain  seized  bim, 
sbook  bim,  and  demanded  : 

"  Wbat's  tbe  matter?     Wbo  bred  tbat  sbot?" 

"I  did." 

"  Wbat  did  you  sboot  at?" 

"  Tbe  Yankees. " 

"  How  many  are  tbey  ?  " 

"  I  saw  fifty  at  least,  and  I  am  sure  tbere  are 
ten  tbousand  bebind  tliem.  " 

A  reconnoitring  part}*,  one  bundred  strong, 
was  finally  sent  forward  to  see  wbat  bad  become 
of  tbe  enemy,  wbo  were  making  no  noise.  Alec 
was  cbosen  to  guide  tbem  to  tbe  spot. 

"Wbere  is  your  musket?"  tbe  officer  in  com- 
mand asked. 

"I  don't  know,"  be  answered.  In  fact  be  had 
not  thought  of  bis  musket  since  he  fired. 

Slowly,  carefully,  yet  boldly,  they  advanced 
through  tbe  bushes  to  tbe  outpost.      Not  a  word 


LOVE  AND  EXCITEMENT.  209 

was  spoken,    save  when  the  commanding  officer 
issued  some  order. 

The  place  was  at  last  reached,  and  the  captain, 
with  drawn  sword,  led  the  way  to  the  thicket 
where  Alec  had  seen  the  phalanx  of  bayonets. 
The  spot  was  reached,  and  the  commanding  officer 
flashed  a  light  over  a  dark  object  lying  on  the 
ground,  and  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Alec,  fearing 
that  he  had  made  some  miserable  blunder. 

"  Why,  you  idiot,  you  have  killed  a  cow!"  was 
the  answer,  and  then  the  forest  rang  with  a  hun- 
dred peals  of  laughter. 
14 


CHAPTER   X. 

FIRST    FIRE. 

Mark  Stevens  had  been  two  months  at  Rising 
Sun  before  his  regiment  moved.  Then  they  went 
down  the  river  to  Cairo,  where  General  Benjamin 
M.  Prentiss,  a  brave  Illinois  brigadier  of  volun- 
teers,  was  in  command.  General  Prentiss,  not 
having  been  a  regular-army  officer,  was  not  in 
favor  with  the  war  department.  Shortly  after 
Mark's  arrival,  he  was  superseded  by  General 
Grant.  Soon  after  taking  command,  Grant  sent 
a  force  to  seize  Paducah,  Kentucky.  Tiiis  was 
done  just  in  time  to  prevent  the  Confederates  from 
making  a  like  effort.  This  was  of  course  in  viola- 
tion of  the  disloyal  Kentucky  governor's  ideas  of 
armed  neutrality. 

Murk  took  no  part  in  the  capture  of  Paducah, 
and  in  fact  had  not  yet  seen  an  armed  Confederate, 
nor  heard  a  gun  fired  in  conflict.  He  had  learned 
that  General  Fremont  was  in  the  field.  On  Au- 
gust 31st,  Fremont  had  proclaimed  the  freedom 
of  the  slaves,  and  confiscated  the  property  of  the 
disunionists  of  Missouri.  This  was  a  dangerous 
210 


FIRST  FIRE.  211 

proclamation,  but  in  keeping  with  a  man  whose 
ideas  are  based  on  the  force  of  the  armj^,  instead 
of  statesmanship.  No  one  jet  thought  of  the  free- 
dom of  the  slaves,  and  not  one  soldier  in  ten  had 
enlisted  with  that  object  in  view,  and  the  procla- 
mation, had  it  been  enforced,  would  have  driven 
thousands  of  soldiers  out  of  the  army,  Lincoln 
seeing  the  folly,  checked  the  wild  career  of  Fre- 
mont before  he  had  gone  far  enough  to  do  any 
great  mischief. 

Fremont  moved  against  Price.  Fearing  that 
the  Confederate  troops  at  Columbus  might  rein- 
force Price,  General  Grant,  who  with  twenty  thou- 
sand men  was  at  Cairo,  was  ordered  to  make  a 
demonstration  on  both  sides  of  the  Mississippi,  in 
order  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  forces  at  Co- 
lumbus. Colonel  Richard  Oglesby  was  dispatched 
with  troops  to  meet  about  three  thousand  of  the 
enemy  on  the  St.  Francois  River,  fifty  miles  south 
of  Cairo.  On  the  5th,  Grant  dispatched  Colonel 
W.  H.  L.  Wallace  from  Bird's  Point  to  overtake 
and  reinforce  Oglesby,  with  orders  to  march  to 
New  Madrid,  a  point  some  distance  on  the  Mis- 
souri side.  General  Smith  was  ordered,  at  the 
same  time,  to  make  a  direct  demonstration  against 
Columbus  with  what  troops  he  could  spare  from 
Paducah.  He  was  ordered  to  make  only  a  demon- 
stration, and  to  halt  a  few  miles  from  town. 


212  UNION. 

Some  of  these  orders  reached  the  ears  of  the  pri- 
vates, and  Mark  felt  that  an  attack  was  not  very 
far  off;  but  where  or  how  the  bolt  would  strike 
he  could  not  tell.  On  the  evening  of  November 
5,  lSf»l,  the  soldiers  were  sitting  about  their  camp 
iires  smoking  and  telling  stories. 

Bill  Simms  was  lying  on  a  bundle  of  straw,  his 
hands  clasped  behind  his  head  and  a  pipe  in  his 
mouth.  It  was  already  conceded  that  Bill  was 
the  chief  liar  in  the  regiment. 

"  Boys,  we're  goin'  to  have  some  hot  work  be- 
fore three  days,"  said  Bill. 

"How  d'ye  know.  Bill?"  Abe  Bolton  asked, 
while  Sis  rubbed  his  smooth  chin  in  silence.  Bill, 
giving  an  extra  puflE  or  two  at  his  pipe,  went  on : 

"  I  see  them  ginerals  puttin'  their  heads  to- 
gether. Then  they  hutry  Oglesby  ofi  one  way, 
and  send  Wallace  after  him  with  a  thousand  men. 
I  tell  ye,  boys,  there's  goin'  to  be  trouble.  I 
remember  one  time  when  I  was  with  Gineral 
Percy!" 

"Say,  Bill,  let  up  on  your  Percy  experience," 
interrupted  one  of  the  soldiers. 

"Well,  lemme  tell  this  story — — " 

"Don't  do  it.  Bill;  it'll  only  add  one  more  lie 
to  the  long  list  you'll  have  to  answer  fur,  when 
the  rebels  till  you  full  o'  lead." 

"Now,  boys,  there  ain't  no  need  to  be  makin' 


FIRST  FIRE.  213 

light  o'  this,  for  we  "re  goin'  to  have  trouble. 
What  do  you  say  about  it,  Sis?" 

Sis  pressed  his  finger  to  his  beardless  chin,  and 
asked : 

"  What  did  we  come  for?" 

Mark  joined  the  group,  and  a  moment  later  a 
corporal  came  and  detailed  the  guard.  Bill  Simms 
was  put  on  that  duty,  and  it  freed  his  mess  from 
any  further  Percy  reminiscences.  Next  da}-  the 
men  were  ordered  to  provide  themselves  with  three 
days'  rations  and  forty  rounds  of  cartridges.  That 
sounded  verv  much  like  business,  and  the  soldiers 
began  to  ask  each  other  where  the}'  were  going. 
Large  steamboats  at  the  landing,  sending  forth 
volumes  of  black  smoke,  were  strongly  suggestive 
of  an  expedition  on  the  water. 

Mark's  regiment  was  ordered  aboard  one  of  the 
boats.  The  vessels  were  partially  provided  against 
bullets,  their  sides  being  guarded  by  thick  boards 
which  might  turn  an  ordinary  musket-ball.  The 
firemen  were  shovelling  in  coal,  the  steam  escaping 
in  deafening  hisses,  so  that  the  vessel  seemed  to  actu- 
ally tremble  beneath  the  struggles  of  the  confined 
monster.  The  soldiers  were  silent,  all  realizing 
that  they  were  about  to  embark  on  an  expedition 
from  which  many  would  never  return. 

Mark  gazed  at  the  shore  and  camp,  which  had 
for    weeks   been   his    home,    and   asked   himself, 


214  UNION. 

would  he  ever  see  it  again?  He  knew  not  whither 
he  was  going.  All  was  surmise.  Columbus  was 
down  the  river,  and  yet  Mark  did  not  believe  that 
General  Grant  would  be  foolish  enough  to  attack 
it.  Grant  had  "  gathered  up  all  the  troops  at  Cairo 
and  Fort  Holt,  excejDt  suitable  guards,"  and  took 
them  aboard  the  steamers  convoyed  by  two  gun- 
boats. The  forces  of  General  Grant  were  between 
four  and  five  thousand  men,  embracing  five  regi- 
ments of  infantry,  two  guns,  and  two  companies 
of  cavalry. 

General  Grant  had  no  idea  of  making  an  attack 
at  the  outstart,  and  the  glory  of  the  fight  at  Bel- 
mont belongs  to  the  troops.  The  conflict  was 
forced  on  the  general  by  the  volunteers.  They 
had  enlisted  to  fight,  and  were  heartily  tired  of  the 
inactivity  of  camp  life.  Nothing  is  so  calculated 
to  discourage  and  demoralize  a  soldier  as  inactivity. 
When  General  Grant  saw  how  elated  his  officers 
and  soldiers  were  at  the  prospect  of  the  long-prom- 
ised engagement  with  the  enemy,  he  realized 
that,  in  order  to  retain  their  respect,  he  must  make 
some  effort  before  returning  to  Cairo.  Grant,  in 
a  great  measure,  owed  his  success  to  his  having 
the  good  sense  to  take  advice  from  others ;  to  his 
ability  to  appreciate  the  situation  and  to  act  ac- 
cordingly. He  knew  that  it  would  be  folly  to 
attack    Columbus;     but    about    two    o'clock,    he 


FIRST  FIRE.  215 

learned  tliat  the  enemy  was  crossing  troops  from 
Columbus  to  the  west  bank,  to  be  dispatched,  pre- 
sumabh',  after  Oglesb}'.  There  was  a  small  camp 
of  Confederates  at  Belmont  immediateh'  opposite 
Columbus,  and  at  this  point  he  resolved  to  make 
the  attack. 

The  great  steamers  at  last  began  to  move.  As 
thej  cast  off  from  the  shore,  and  glided  out  into 
the  stream,  Bill  Simms,  who  stood  on  the  for- 
ward deck  smoking  his  pipe,  said: 

"  Now,  boj's,  look  at  Cairo.  Some  o'  you  may 
never  come  back." 

Mark  felt  the  full  force  of  this  idle  speech.  He 
was  no  coward;  but  any  reflecting  man  who  comes 
face  to  face  with  danger,  experiences  a  sensation 
called  fear.  The  man  who  says  that  he  goes  into 
battle  without  an}-  of  the  pangs  of  dread  either 
does  not  possess  the  good  sense  requisite  to  self- 
protection,  or  is  an  unmitigated  liar.  The  man 
whose  fears  are  subordinate  to  pride  and  patriot- 
ism makes  the  best  soldier.  The  brave  man 
dreads  going  into  battle,  but  when  he  feels  tlie 
touch  of  his  comrade's  elbow,  it  seems  to  inspire 
confidence,  and  he  looks  forward,  not  backward. 

As  Mark  stood  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  his  mind 
went  back  over  the  past.  The  sun  set,  and  dark- 
ness gathered  over  the  scene  as  the  steamers  sped 
on   their  "vvay,  trailing  showers  of  sparks  and  vol- 


216  UNION. 

umes  of  black  smoke  in  their  wake.  Mark  glanced 
at  the  stars,  asking  himself  if  he  woiikl  ever  see 
them  again.  He  realized  that  a  broadside  of  artil- 
lery, or  the  explosion  of  a  torpedo  might,  at  any 
moment,  send  them  to  the  bottom.  His  aged 
parents,  in  their  Kentucky  home,  might  pass 
many  anxious  days  ere  they  learned  his  fate. 
Then  his  mind  wandered  to  another.  That  one 
was  the  peerless  Elsie  in  her  far  off  southern  home. 
No  wonder  that  Mark  thought  of  her  on  this  occa- 
sion, for  she  was  scarce  ever  out  of  his  mind. 
Months  of  excitement  had  failed  to  efface  the 
image  of  the  beautiful  maid  of  the  South  from  his 
memory,  and  he  realized  that  time  would  never 
do  so. 

"  O  life !  what  a  mystery, "  soliloquized  Mark. 
"  Men  are  born,  enter  on  the  stage  of  action,  per- 
form their  little  part  and  pass  away.  The  past 
has  been  dark  and  stormy,  while  the  future  is 
darker  than  this  starless  night.  We  may  talk  of 
happiness,  but  where  is  it  found?"  Then  his  mind 
reverted  to  that  dark  shadow  blighting  his  own 
life,  and  he  said:  "But  for  that,  I  might  have 
been  happy.  A  cruel  fate  is  mine.  Why  was 
it  decreed  that  I  should  meet  her,  when  such  a 
meeting  was  only  productive  of  misery?  Is  it 
Providence,  or  is  it  fate,  that  makes  puppets  of 
men,  plays  with  them  for  awhile  and  then  casts 


FIRST  FIRE.  217 

them  aside?  There  seems  no  ease  from  this  strain 
called  life,  save  the  grave;  then  how  foolish  to  fear 
death." 

Mark  Stevens  felt  bitter  against  the  capricious 
fortune  which  had  seemed  to  play  with  him  as  a 
cat  does  with  the  mouse.  Misery  had  claimed 
him  at  his  birth,  for  he  had  ever  been  unfortunate, 
and  he  might  reasonably  presume  that  he  would 
fall  in  the  coming  struggle.  What  was  death  that 
he  need  fear  it?  When  the  sickly  dream  of  life 
was  over,  then  he  would  be  at  peace  from  the  war- 
ring elements  of  outrageous  fortune. 

Thinking  was  painful,  and  Mark  rose  and  went 
toward  the  pilot  house.  A  score  of  soldiers 
wrapped  in  blankets  lay  snoring  on  the  deck. 

'  Happy  fellows!"  sighed  Mark.  "  Care  sits  so 
lightly  on  your  brows  that  you  sleep  in  peace, 
even  while  rushing  to  what  may  be  your  eternal 
doom.  Perhaps  it  is  wisest  after  all.  Wh}^  take 
thought  for  the  morrow,  when  the  morrow  is  be- 
yond control,  and  we  know  not  what  it  may 
bring  forth — sunshine  or  shadow?" 

It  was  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th 
before  Mark  Stevens  had  even  attempted  to  sleep. 
He  was  only  dozing  when  the  boats  came  to,  and 
the  ofl&cers  on  each  met  in  general  consultation. 
Then  all  pushed  boldly  down  the  river  again. 
When  day  dawned  they  were  tied  up  under  the 


218  UNION. 

banks ;  but  the  pickets  above  Columbus  were  drawn 
in,  and  about  daylight  the  boats  moved  out  from 
the  shore.  Mark,  who  had  been  in  a  fitful  slum- 
ber, awoke  as  the  boats  started  from  the  shore. 

"  Where  are  we  going?"  he  asked  Bill  Simms, 
who  was  filling  his  pipe. 

"  We  seem  to  be  goin'  over  to  the  Missouri  side. " 

"  Have  you  heard  nothing  of  our  destination?" 

"  No,  old  Grant  and  all  the  rest  keep  a  close 
mouth." 

The  soldiers  were  gathered  about  the  deck  in 
groups,  either  silent,  or  talking  in  whispers. 
Mark  saw  Sis,  a  little  apart  from  the  others,  sitting 
on  a  coil  of  rope,  yawning,  and  only  half  awake. 

"  Sis,  we'll  be  in  Missouri  soon,"  said  Mark. 

"  Tho't  we  were  goin'  to  Columbus, "  Sis  growled. 

"  We  will  probably  have  some  fighting  any 
way,"  Mark  returned,  gazing  at  the  shore  they 
were  approaching.  The  land  was  low  and  in 
places  cut  up  with  sloughs.  Sis,  who  had  followed 
the  direction  of  his  glance,  with  another  careless 
yawn  remarked : 

"  Good  place  fur  ducks. " 

The  soil  on  the  west  side  was  rich,  and  the  tim- 
ber large  and  heavy.  There  were  some  small 
clearings  between  Belmont  and  the  point  for  which 
they  were  heading,  but  most  of  the  country  was 
covered  with  native  forests. 


FIRST  FIRE.  219 

"  We  are  goin'  to  land  right  in  front  of  them 
corn  fields,"  growled  Bill  Simms,  puffing  away  at 
his  pipe.  "  Now  it's  bad  policy.  Gineral  Percy 
would  know  better  than  that.  " 

"  Perhaps  there  is  no  other  place  to  land,"  Mark 
ventured  to  answer;  "  and  then,  this  may  be  only 
a  feint." 

"  Wall,  a  feller'd  faint  afore  he'd  take  Columbus 
from  this  side  o'  the  river." 

"There's  one  boat  rounding  to,"  put  in  Abe 
Bolton,  pointing  to  one  of  the  boats.  "  Slie's 
goin'  to  land." 

"  Yes,  there  goes  the  line.  See  the  niggers 
jump  ashore!" 

"  And  the  gang  plank  is  run  out. " 

In  an  incredible  short  time  orders  could  be  heard 
from  the  landed  boat. 

"  Attention  !  Eight  face.  By  fours — forward — 
march!"  and  a  long  line  of  blue  coats,  with  glit- 
tering muskets  and  bayonets  were  seen  leaving  the 
boat. 

"There  goes  the  gineral's  boss,"  said  Sis. 
"  Wonder  if  he  run  at  the  fair  last  fall?" 

General  Grant  went  ashore,  formed  the  first  regi- 
ment that  landed,  and  marched  it  down  the  river  a 
short  distance,  to  guard  against  surprise.  In  the 
woods,  a  short  distance  below  the  landing,  was  a 
depression,    where   the   men   were   stationed   with 


220  UNION. 

orders  to  remain  until  properly  relieved.  These 
troops  with  the  gunboats  were  left  to  protect  the 
transports. 

"  Wonder  if  they've  gone  off  to  do  all  the  lightin' 
themselves?"  asked  Sis  with  another  yaAvn. 

"  No,  our  boat  is  goin'  ashore,"  some  one  said. 

"  Fall  in!"  cried  the  lion-like  voice  of  the  colo- 
nel, then  the  captains  took  command  of  their 
companies,  and  in  a  moment  every  man  was  be- 
hind the  stacked  muskets. 

Here  they  waited  until  the  boat  ran  in  to  shore, 
and  lay  alongside  the  muddy  bank.  Mark  watched 
a  negro  leap  ashore  and  seize  the  cable  which  he 
wound  about  an  old  stump.  The  boat  was  soon 
secured,  and  then  came  the  command: 

"Take— arms!" 

In  two  seconds'  time  a  thousand  muskets  were 
seized  as  one,  and  brought  to  an  order. 

"  Carry — arms!" 

They  brought  their  muskets  to  their  sides. 

"Right— face!" 

That  pretty  movement  was  executed,  and  they 
received  the  command  to  march.  They  stepped 
off  as  one  man,  and  walked  do.wn  the  stage  plank 
to  the  shore. 

"I  believe  they  kin  see  us  from  Columbus," 
said  Nick  timidly. 

"  What  if  they  do?     We  ain't  hurtin'  'em  over 


FIRST  FIRE.  331 

there,"  growled  Bill  Simms,  who  still  clung  to  his 
pipe.  They  marched  a  few  hundred  paces  away, 
and  the  regiment  came  to  a  halt. 

All  the  transports  had  landed,  and  the  men  were 
rapidly  coming  ashore.  A  long  line  of  blue  coats 
was  seen  forming.  Up  to  this  time,  Mark  and  his 
companions  were  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  inten- 
tion of  the  officers;  but  when  they  had  been 
formed  and  stood  waiting  the  order  to  advance,  a 
whisper  ran  down  the  line: 

"  There's  Johnny  rebs  over  there?" 

"Where?"  asked  Nick. 

"  Just  over  the  hill." 

Then  came  the  order  to  march  by  the  left  flank, 
and  they  advanced  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  halted 
in  a  low,  flat,  marshy  place  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  timber  in  front.  Then  came  a  requisi- 
tion on  each  captain  to  detail  ten  men  from  his 
company  for  skirniishers. 

Mark,  Sis,  Bill  Simms  and  Abe  Bolton  were 
detailed  as  four  of  the  ten  from  their  company. 
They  deployed  at  the  distance  of  about  four  rods 
apart  at  first,  and  began  to  advance  carefully  into 
the  heavy  timber.  .  Mark  could  see  no  one,  yet 
his  heart  was  beating  wildly,  his  face  was  very 
pale,  though  he  was  not  trembling. 

Sis  was  on  his  left,  and  Bill  Simms  on  his 
right.      They    had    not    gone    far   when    a    hare 


222  UNION. 

started  up  before  the  former,  and  went  bounding 
away. 

"There  goes  a  rabbit!"  cried  Sis,  cocking  his 
gun. 

"You  dern  fool,  don't  you  shoot!"  cautioned 
Bill  Simms.  "  Don't  you  see  there  is  bigger  game 
ahead?" 

It  was  hard  for  Sis  to  resist  his  natural  desire 
for  sport,  but  he  did  so,  and  let  the  hammer  of  his 
musket  down.  The  officers  in  charge  of  the  skir- 
mishers were  passing  quickly  up  and  down  the 
line,  giving  commands  and  words  of  encourage- 
ment. 

As  yet,  not  a  shot  had  been  fired,  and  Mark 
had  not  seen  a  sign  of  an  enemy ;  but  it  became 
quite  evident  from  the  caution  exercised,  that  they 
were  nearing  danger.  Mark  saw  some  of  his  fel- 
low soldiers  crawling  among  the  trees  and  bushes. 

"Bang!" 

The  shot  was  fired  two  or  three  hundred  yards 
on  his  left.  Whether  it  was  a  Union  or  Confed- 
erate shot,  he  never  learned.  A  moment  later  he 
heard  two  or  three  more  in  quick  succession,  and 
then  he  thought  he  saw  something  moving  in  the 
bushes  directly  before  him.  It  might  have  been 
a  man,  or  some  dome^^tic  animal.  Once  or  twice 
he  raised  his  gun,  intending  to  shoot  it,  but  not 
being  quite  certain  lowered  his  piece. 


FIRST  FIRE.  223 

Suddenly  there  came  a  burst  of  flame  and  smoke 
from  the  bushes  on  the  hill  above,  and  the  woods 
were  filled  with  echoing  shots.  Bill  Simms  blazed 
away  into  the  woods,  and  Mark  did  likewise, 
though  he  could  see  nothing  to  shoot  at.  All 
along  the  entire  skirmish  line,  everybody  was 
firing,  save  Sis,  who  stood  in  plain  view  erect  and 
undaunted. 

"  Sis,  why  donH  you  shoot?"   cried  Bill  Simms. 

"Shoot,  thunder!  I  don't  see  nuthin'  t'  shoot 
at."     Sis  answered. 

Mark  Stevens  had  fired  twice  before  he  was 
quite  sure  he  saw  a  man.  Then  he  distinctly  saw 
one,  not  two  hundred  paces  away,  running  obliquely 
to  his  right  carrying  a  gun  in  his  hand.  The  man 
had  no  coat,  and  wore  a  red  shirt  and  white  hat. 
Before  Mark  could  put  a  cap  on  his  musket,  the 
fellow  was  out  of  sight.  But  a  moment  later  he 
saw  another  two  hundred  paces  directly  in  front  of 
him.  This  one  had  fired  at  some  of  the  Federal 
skirmishers,  and  pausing  in  a  cleared  spot  was  de- 
liberately reloading  his  gun.  Mark  blazed  away 
at  him,  and  was  amazed  to  discover  that  he  had 
missed.  The  ball  evidently  went  close,  for  the 
fellow  sought  shelter  behind  a  tree.  The  enemy 
now  ap23eared  in  front  in  large  numbers,  but  were 
falling  back. 

The  skirmishers  cheered  and  pressed  on,  gradu- 


224  UNION. 

ally  closing  up  as  they  did  so.  A  man,  named 
Jack  Flint,  in  Company  H,  was  a  little  to  the  right, 
and  in  the  advance  of  Mark,  loading  his  gun.  He 
had  rammed  home  the  charge,  returned  the  ramrod 
to  its  thimbles,  when  he  dropped  his  piece,  yelling: 

"  Oh,  mercy!"  Clapping  his  left  arm  with  his 
right  hand,  he  danced  about  very  much  like  a. boy 
who  has  been  stung  by  a  hornet. 

"  What  is  the  matter?"  Mark  asked. 

He  made  no  answer,  but  dashed  back  toward 
the  rear  slinging  his  arm,  from  which  the  blood 
was  trickling,  back  and  forth,  and  screaming: 
"Oh,  mercy!" 

The  first  person  Mark  saw  slain  was  a  red- 
headed boy  belonging  to  Company  E.  He  had 
pressed  forward  ahead  of  the  others,  and  was 
almost  fifty  paces  in  front,  and  a  little  to  the  right, 
when  he  fell  among  some  under  bushes.  Mark 
did  not  see  him  fall,  nor  was  he  aware  of  his  fate 
until,  pressing  on  through  the  thicket,  he  suddenly 
came  upon  an  object  that  caused  him  to  start. 
Lying  among  the  grass  and  bushes  was  the  red- 
headed boy,  shot  through  the  heart.  His  cap  and 
his  gun  lay  at  his  side,  his  eyes  wide  open,  staring, 
and  glassy,  and  his  face  had  about  it  something 
truly  appalling.  He  had  large  front  teeth  which 
protruded,  and  the  lips  being  slightly  drawn  re- 
vealed them  in  a  terrifying  grin.      Mark  had  seen 


FIRST  FIRE.  225 

the  boy  in  camp,  but  did  not  know  his  name. 
There  was  something  so  terrible  in  the  spectacle, 
that  he  shuddered,  and  for  a  moment  was  seized 
with  something  bordering  on  a  panic.  He  was  re- 
called to  the  present  situation  by  the  shouting  and 
firing  ahead,  and  with  a  vow  of  vengeance,  he 
leaped  over  the  body,  and  hurried  forward  to  join 
his  companions. 

The  firing  was  continuous,  and  the  whiz  of  ene- 
my's balls  constant.  They  cut  the  bark  from  the 
trees  at  Mark's  side,  clipped  the  leaves  from  off 
the  branches  overhead,  and  dug  up  the  earth  at 
his  feet.  It  was  a  veritable  baptism  of  fire. 
Again  and  again  had  they  been  reinforced  by  skir- 
mishers, until  Mark  thought  their  whole  force 
must  be  in  the  field.      Suddenly  the  colonel  cried: 

"  Eally  on  the  centre!" 

Then  they  came  elbow  to  elbow,  met  by  a  solid 
phalanx  of  the  enemy.  The  sharp  crack  of  mus- 
ketry had  been  growing  more  incessant,  until  it  be- 
came a  steady  roar. 

"  Thunder  and  lightnin'!  that  ain't  no  skirmish 
line,"  cried  Bill  Simms.  "We're  fightin'  a  line 
o'  battle." 

Mark  discovered  a  Confederate  officer  riding  a 

short  distance  in  front  of  him,  and  determined  to 

give  him  a  shot  as  soon  as  he  had  got  his  gun 

loaded;  but  while  he  was  ramming  home  the  car- 

15 


326  UNION. 

tridge,  Sis  raised  his  musket  and  fired,  and  when 
next  Mark  looked,  a  riderless  horse  was  gallo})ing 
through  the  woods.  Eeinforcements  came  to  the 
Federals,  and  they  drove  the  rebels  back  pell  mell 
through  their  own  camp,  following  them  and  yell- 
ing like  demons. 

The  mania  for  plunder  seized  both  men  and 
officers,  and  General  Grant  was  unable  to  control 
them.  Regimental  organizations  were  lost,  and 
the  army  became  a  mob. 

The  rebels  had  retreated  over  the  hill,  and  but 
few  had  shown  any  inclination  to  follow  them. 
General  Grant's  original  design  was  only  to  break 
up  their  camp,  and  he  made  no  particular  effort  at 
pursuit. 

There  was  one,  however,  who  had  little  thought 
of  })1  under.  It  was  Sis.  As  Mark  entered  the 
camp  of  Confederates,  and  heard  the  cry  to  halt,  he 
saw  the  beardless  youth  giving  chase  to  the  flying 
enemy. 

"  Run  down  the  hellions!  Shoot  'em!  Bannet 
'em;  Don't  let  a  single  gray  back  git  away!" 
roared  the  angr}"  Bill  Simms,  who  instead  of  set- 
ting the  example  himself,  fell  to  plundering  the 
camp. 

Sis,  hearing  his  command,  su})posed  that  it  came 
from  headquarters.  There  is  an  excitement  about 
a  man  chase,  which  exceeds  any  other  specimen  of 


FIRST  FIRE.  227 

hunting,  and  Sis  was  fairlj  intoxicated  with  it. 
He  soon  overtook  two  or  three  of  the  slower-paced 
Confederates,  who  surrendered  quietly,  and  were 
turned  over  to  the  other  boys,  as  they  came  up, 
and  were  conducted  to  the  rear. 

But  Sis  was  not  satisfied  with  the  glory  he  had 
already  won.  A  hundred  yards  ahead  of  him  was 
a  tall,  gaunt  Kentuckian,  clad  in  butternut-colored 
jeans  of  a  queer  cut  and  pattern,  and  a  great  bell- 
crowned  hat  of  rough,  gray  beaver.  Though  his 
gait  was  shambling,  and  his  huge,  splay  feet  rose 
and  fell  in  a  most  awkward  way,  he  went  over  the 
ground  with  a  speed  that  seemed  to  defy  even 
Sis's  long  legs  to  overhaul  him.  But  ere  long, 
the  boy  pursuer  was  encouraged  by  signs  of  dis- 
tress; first  the  bell-crowned  hat  was  thrown  aside, 
then  he  flung  off  his  haversack,  and  this  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  canteen  of  Kentucky  whiskey.  Next 
followed  the  fugitive's  belt,  loaded  down  with  an 
antique  cartridge  box,  a  savage  looking  knife  made 
from  a  rasp,  and  handled  with  buckhorn,  and  a  fierce 
looking  horse-pistol,  ornamented  with  a  flint-lock. 

"Jerusalem,  guess  I'm  bustin'  up  a  moosyum 
o'  revolutionary  relics,"  cried  Sis.  "That  feller 
drops  his  forefathers'  keepsakes  like  a  bird  a 
moultin'  on  a  windy  day  in  May.  'Spect  he'll 
shed  Continental  money  and  three-cornered  hats 
next. " 


328  UNION. 

Sis  did  not,  look  to  see  if  the  whole  Federal 
force  was  at  his  back  or  not.  The  fugitive  turned 
off  to  the  right  and  he  followed.  The  youth's 
gun  was  empty,  but  he  had  his  bayonet  fixed,  and 
expected  every  moment  to  be  within  lunging  dis- 
tance. He  had  foreshortened  his  gun  for  the 
plunge,  when  three  or  four  Confederates  suddenly 
started  up  from  behind  a  stone  and  some  trees, 
crying: 

"  Stop,  you  Yankee  cuss,  or  we'll  let  some 
streaks  o'  daylight  through  .you." 

Sis  halted  with  his  breast  almost  against  four 
dark  muzzles.      Panting  he  said : 

"  Look  here,  boys,  this  is  all  infernal  nonsense. 
Our  fellers  are  comin' ;  they've  got  ye  sure." 

"  Yaas,  you  think  they  hev,"  growled  one. 
"  Don't  ye  see  our  fellers  comin'  over  from  Colum- 
bus by  the  million  ?     Look  at  them  boats ! " 

Sis  glanced  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the 
Confederate's  hand,  and  saw  two  steamers  coming 
over  the  river  black  with  Confederate  soldiers. 

"  Now,  honey,  you'uns'll  git  aw^a}^  from  that 
camp  faster  than  ye  come. " 

All  the  while  there  could  be  heard  from  the 
camp,  the  loud  cheering  of  the  foolish  Federals,  who 
were  congratulating  themselves  over  their  victory. 
Sis  saw  he  was  trapped;  but  he  did  not  lose  his 
wits.      Coolly  seating  himself  on  a  stump,  he  said : 


FIRST  FIRE. 


229 


"Boys,  let's  talk  it  over." 

"  Give  us  that  gun  iirst. " 

"  No,  it's  my  gun;  you  wouldn't  rob  me,  would 
ye?  Besides,  I  saw  a  rabbit  down  under  the  hill, 
and  I  want  to  go  back  and  shoot  it. " 

"Look  here,   Yank,  we  don't  intend  to  stand 


"BoTS,  let's  talk  it  over." 

any  o'  your  tom-foolery, — give  up  that  gun  or  I'll 
blow  yer  head  off.  " 

In  a  moment  Sis  was  an  unarmed  prisoner. 

"  Have  ye  any  flat  terbacker  about  ye'/"  one  of 
his  captors  asked.     He  had,  and  they  took  it. 


230  UNION. 

He  was  then  marched  down  under  the  hill,  and 
shortly  afterward  volumes  of  smoke  and  flames 
told  that  the  Confederate  camp  was  burning.  Im- 
mediately after  that  came  the  boom  of  cannon  from 
Columbus.  The  prisoner  was  marched  a  mile 
down  toward  the  transports,  for  the  Confederate 
troops  were  moving  in  that  direction. 

Mark  Stevens  had  noted  the  continued  absence 
of  Sis  and  had  reported  the  matter  to  his  captain, 
who  sent  a  lieutenant  with  twenty  men,  among 
whom  was  Mark,  in  search  of  him.  By  accident 
they  came  on  the  guard  just  as  the  advancing  Con- 
federates began  exchanging  shots  with  the  Union 
troops.  The  tables  were  turned  and  Sis  was  liber- 
ated, his  captors  made  prisoners,  and  all  set  out 
toward  the  transports. 

"Now  see  here,  sir, "  said  Sis  to  the  man  who 
had  taken  his  tobacco,  "  I  want  my  flat  terbacker 
agin.  It  was  blamed  mean  o'  you  t'  take  it  from 
a  feller  that  way.  Ef  ye'd  a  wanted  a  chaw,  I'd  a 
gin  it  to  you,  'cause  I  ain't  one  bit  stingy." 

"Boys,  we've  got  to  make  a  run  for  it,"  said 
Lieutenant  Tull,  when  they  came  to  the  cornfield 
on  the  river  banks  above  the  transports.  "  Our 
fellows  are  all  aboard,  and  they  are  about  to  shove 
off." 

Already  the  enemy  had  appeared,  and  opened  a 
brisk  fire  on  the  boats. 


FIRST  FIRE.  231 

"Git!"  cried  Sis  to  the  prisoners.  "Run,  con- 
sarn  yer  picturs,  ur  I'll  jab  ye  with  my  bannit. " 

They  all  ran,  and  when  within  a  few  hundred 
paces  of  the  transports,  the}^  discovered  that  they 
were  pushing  off  from  shore.  A  horseman  was 
seen  riding  toward  the  boat  frantically  waving 
his  hat,  and  ordering  them  to  return  for  him. 
The  captain  of  the  boat  ordered  it  back,  and  the 
horseman  dismounted  and  went  down  the  bank 
and  entered  the  boat  by  the  gang  plank.  The 
horse  taking  in  the  situation,  determined  to  follow 
his  master.  There  was  no  path  down  the  bank, 
and  every  one  acquainted  with  the  Mississippi 
River  knows  its  banks,  in  a  natural  state,  are  not 
far  from  perpendicular.  The  horse  put  his  fore- 
feet over  the  edge  of  the  bank  and  with  his  hind 
feet  well  under  him,  slid  down  the  bank,  and 
trotted  on  board  the  boat,  twelve  or  fifteen  feet 
away,  over  a  single  gang  plank.  They  afterward 
learned  that  the  horseman  who  j^receded  them  on 
the  boat,  was  General  Grant.  Mark  and  the 
party  that  had  rescued  Sis  came  up  at  this  moment. 

"  Hold  just  a  minute,  captain,"  cried  Lieutenant 
Tull. 

"  I  can't,  run  and  jump  aboard." 

It  was  a  risky  business  to  force  the  prisoners  to 
jump  on  the  boat,  as  it  was  pushing  off,  and  the 
gang  plank  was  dragging  along  the  muddy  bank, 


282  UNION. 

but  they  got  three  of  them  on  the  boat,  while  the 
fourth  ran  away.  Mark  slipped  on  the  stage  plank 
as  it  was  being  drawn  in,  and  fell  in  the  water; 
A  rope  was  tossed  to  him,  and  by  the  aid  of  Sis 
and  Abe  Bolton  he  was  pulled  on  board,  where  he 
sank,  almost  exhausted,  on  the  boiler  deck. 


CHAPTER   XL 

SHILOH.* 

A  FEW  days  after  the  fight  at  Belmont,  Mark 
Stevens  was  seized  with  a  lingering  fever  and,  for 
months,  lay  in  the  hospital  at  Cairo.  Then  he 
went  to  his  home  in  Boone  County,  Kentucky,  on 
a  sick  furlough,  where  he  remained  through  the 
months  of  January  and  February,  and  until  the 
middle  of  March,  1S62.  He  kept  posted  on  army 
movements,  and  read  in  the  newspapers  how 
Commodore  Foote,  on  February  6,  IS 52.  captured 
Fort  Henry  on  the  Tennessee.  On  the  Sth,  Burn- 
side  captured  some  forts  and  valuable  supplies  on 
Roanoke  Island.  On  the  12th,  General  Grant  and 
some  gunboats  invested  Fort  Donelson.  On  13th, 
General  Curtis  advanced  to  Springfield,  Missouri. 
The  Confederates  lost  Nashville,  Tennessee,  on  the 
23d  of  February,  and,  on  the  27th,  abandoned 
Columbus.       March     also    proved    a    memorable 


*For  the  personal  adventures  of  Mark  Stevens  in  this 
chapter  tlie  author   is    indebted  to  O.   C.  Snider,   late  of 
Company  H,  6th  Iowa  Infantry  Volunteers. 
233 


234  UNION. 

month.  On  the  2d,  the  Union  gunboats  captured 
a  battery  at  a  place  called  Pittsburg  Landing  on 
the  Tennessee  On  the  6th  and  8th,  Curtis  fought 
the  combined  forces  of  Price  and  McCullough  at 
Pea  Ridge,  defeating  them.  McCullough  was 
among 'the  Confederate  slain.  On  the  9th,  the 
Monitor  defeated  the  terrible  rebel  ram,  the  Merri- 
mac,  and  forever  silenced  the  dread  of  the  Atlantic 
coast.  On  the  13th,  the  Confederates  evacuated 
New  Madrid,  Mo.  ;  on  the  l-ith,  General  Burnside 
captured  New  Berne,  North  Carolina.  On  the 
23d  a  battle  was  fought  at  Winchester,  Virginia, 
in  which  the  southern  forces  were  defeated.  On 
the  28th.  three  thousand  Union  troops  had  an  un- 
successful engagement  with  about  eleven  hundred 
Texans  at  Union  Branch,  New  Mexico. 

These  were  the  chief  stirring  events  that  had 
transpired  while  Mark  was  away  from  camp. 
When  he  started,  March  loth,  to  his  regiment,  he 
could  not  at  first  locate  them.  On  the  restora- 
tion of  General  Grant  to  the  immediate  command 
of  the  troops,  and  his  arrival  at  Savannah,  March 
17.  1862.  he  converted  an  expeditionary  encamp- 
ment, at  Pittsburg  Landing,  into  rendezvous  of 
the  armies  of  the  Cumberland  and  Ohio,  by  plac- 
ing his  whole  force  on  the  west  side  of  the  river, 
where  Sherman  with  his  division  alread}^  was.  No 
rule  of  military  art  or  common  expediency  could 


DUEL  BETWEEN   THE     •MuMTcii;    '   AND   "MERRIMAC." 


SHILOH.  235 

justify  such  an  arrangement.  In  fact  it  was  Gen- 
eral Grant's  greatest  blunder,  and  proves  that, 
great  military  hero  as  he  was,  his  education  was 
not  complete.  A  militia  captain  of  this  day  who 
should  be  guilty  of  such  a  blunder  ought  to  be 
court-martialled  for  incompetency.  An  invading 
army  may,  as  a  preliminary  step,  throw  an  inferior 
force  in  advance  upon  the  enemy's  coast,  or  across 
an  intervening  river,  to  secure  a  harbor  or  other 
necessary  foothold;  but,  in  such  a  case,  a  good 
general  would  see  that  his  advanced  force  was 
securely  entrenched.  Pittsburg  Landing  was  in 
no  sense  a  point  of  such  necessity  or  desirability 
as  to  require  any  risk,  or  any  great  expenditure  of 
means  for  its  occupation.  General  Grant,  for  some 
unknown  reason,  had  his  headquarters  at  Savan- 
nah, leaving  Sherman  with  some  sort  of  control  at 
Pittsburg  Landing. 

The  official  reports  of  the  battle  of  Shiloh  are 
so  conflicting  that,  from  the  commander-in-chief 
down  to  the  lowest  officer  who  has  made  a  report, 
one  can  hardly  find  two  that  agree.  General 
Grant's  own  report  shows  that  he  was  at  Savannah, 
about  ten  or  twelve  miles  away,  when  the  battle 
began.  The  conflict  must  have  raged  three  or  four 
hours  before  he  was  within  hearing  of  it.  General 
Grant  censures  General  Lew  Wallace  for  not  obey- 
ing his  orders  to  join  him.  and  belittles  the  services 


236  UNION. 

of  Buell.  General  Biiell,  on  the  other  hand,  in  an 
article  in  the  March,  1886,  number  of  the  Century 
31agazine,  shows  how  the  aro-ival  of  General  Nelson 
with  the  head  of  his  division,  saved  the  army  from 
being  crushed.  General  Grant,  in  his  memoirs, 
volume  I.,  page  347,  infers  that  it  was  night  that 
saved  his  army  from  suffering  defeat,  and  that 
Buell  and  Wallace  had  little  to  do  with  it.  Some 
one  made  a  blunder  at  Shiloh;  and,  but  for  the 
gunboats,  Buell,Wallace  and  night,  General  Grant's 
brave  army  would  have  been  utterl3^  destroyed. 
In  fact,  the  first  day's  fight  must  be  regarded  as  a 
Union  defeat.  When  victories  are  won,  it  is  com- 
mon to  give  all  credit  to  the  commander  of  the 
army,  although  he  might  not  have  been  near 
enough  to  see  an  enemy,  or  hear  the  whistle  of  a 
bullet;  and  where  mistakes  are  made,  the  com- 
manding officer  should  be  made  to  bear  the  blame. 
The  disposition  of  troops  would  be  a  discredit  to  a 
three  months'  volunteer  colonel.  General  Benja- 
min M.  Prentiss,  with  a  brigade  of  raw  troops, 
but  few  of  whom  had  ever  been  under  fire,  was 
placed  on  the  frontier.  There  they  lay  almost  two 
weeks,  while  Johnson  and  Beauregard  were  care- 
fully advancing  on  them.  Not  a  ditch  was  dug, 
not  a  tree  felled  for  protection.  If  they  were  sur- 
prised at  Shiloh,  neither  General  Grant  nor  his 
friends  can  offer   any    excuse  for  such   surprise. 


SHILOH.  237 

They  should  have  sent  scouting  and  reconnoitring 
parties  out ;  and  known  that  an  army  was  advanc- 
ing. If  they  were  not  surprised,  if  General  Grant 
knew  of  the  near  proximity  of  a  large  Confederate 
army,  why  was  he  ten  or  twelve  miles  away  when 
his  forces  were  attacked?  Why  did  he  not  have 
his  troops  entrenched,  and  so  distributed  that  they 
should  not  be  compelled  to  fall  back  every  time 
their  cartridge  boxes  were  empty?  The  general" s 
only  possible  excuse  was  that  he  was  not  certain 
whether  the  attack  would  be  made  at  Pittsburg,  or 
Crump's  Landing.  In  such  a  dilemma  he  would, 
in  later  years,  have  entrenched  at  both  places. 

Instead  of  admitting  his  mistake,  as  Washington 
would  have  done,  General  Grant  falls  to  scolding 
Wallace  and  Buell,  the  men  who  ultimately  saved 
his  army  from  ruin. 

The  real  hero  of  Shiloh  was  the  man  who  carried 
the  knapsack  and  not  the  one  who  wore  the  shoul- 
der straps.  The  privates  deserved  the  glory,  the 
officers  none,  or  little.  The  officer  most  worthy 
of  praise  has  always  received  least.  That  man 
was  Brigadier-General  Benjamin  M.  Prentiss  of 
volunteers.  General  Prentiss  being  a  volunteer, 
as  is  usual,  the  regular  army  officers  sought  to 
make  him  the  scapegoat  for  all  the  blunders.  He 
was  on  the  left  of  Sherman,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  6th,  in  the  advance.     General  Prentiss  be- 


238  UNION. 

lieved  that  there  was  a  large  force  in  their  advance, 
and  recommended  the  necessity  of  entrenching; 
but  as  Braddock  replied  to  Washington,  that  a 
Provincial  Colonel  could  not  teach  one  of  His  Maj- 
esty's officers  the  art  of  war,  so  the  West  Pointers 
thought  the  opinions  of  "  Ben  Prentiss"  not  worth 
considering.  After  the  battle  was  fought  and  he 
and  his  brigade,  with  a  part  of  W.  H.  L.  Wal- 
lace's, became  sacrifices  for  the  army,  they  sought 
to  malign  him,  by  circulating  the  report  that  he 
was  captured  early  in  the  morning.  He  was  the 
only  general  officer  that  was  not  surprised.  Who- 
ever may  have  been  expecting  a  fight,  General 
Grant  was  not;  for  on  the  5th,  he  was  at  Nelson's 
camp,  and  said  he  would  send  the  boats  for  his 
division,  "  Monday  or  Tuesday,  or  some  time  early 
in  the  week. "  He  added  :  "  There  will  be  no  fight 
at  Pittsburg  Landing;  we  will  have  to  go  to 
Corinth  where  the  rebels  are  fortified." 

General  Prentiss,  volunteer  as  he  was,  believed 
there  was  danger,  and  his  vigilance  gave  first 
warning  of  it.  The  two  or  three  days'  skirmishing 
told  him  something,  even  if  it  did  not  a  West 
Pointers.  On  Sunday  morning,  April  6,  18G2,  at 
about  three  o'clock,  he  sent  Colonel  David  H. 
Moore,  of  the  21st  Missouri  Infantry  volunteers, 
with  five  companies  to  strengthen  the  picket  guard. 
On  the  way.  Colonel  Moore  met  the  picket  guard 


SHILOH  239 

as  it  was  being  driven  in  by  the  enemy;  and, 
forming  his  regiment,  he  advanced  and  began  to 
open  fire  on  the  enem3^  The  steadily  increasing 
roar  of  musketry  and  artillery  swelled  in  volume: 
but  the  little  band  of  brave  Missourians  held  their 
ground,  until  Colonel  Moore's  leg  was  shattered 
by  a  grapeshot,  his  horse  killed  under  him,  and  his 
brave  little  baud  flanked  on  both  sides.  Then 
they  began  to  fall  back,  fighting  as  they  ran. 

General  Prentiss'  brigade  was  under  arms  and 
waiting  when  the  remnant  of  Colonel  Moore's 
brave  band  came  in.  According  to  the  accounts 
of  both  Grant  and  Buell,  General  Prentiss'  raw 
troops  fought  like  veterans.  They  would  not  run 
to  the  river  as  many  of  the  veterans  did.  General 
Buell  says :  "  General  Prentiss  })romptly  formed  his 
division  (doubtless  meaning  brigade)  at  the  first 
news  from  the  front,  and  moved  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  in  advance  of  his  camp,  where  he  was  attacked 
before  Sherman  was  under  arms. " 

But  enough  of  wrangling  and  dispute  among 
men  thirsting  for  glory.  We  find  it  difficult  to 
believe  all  that  either  side  has  said,  and  think  it 
best  to  listen  for  once  to  men  who  fought  the  bat- 
tle, the  "  rank  and  file. "  "  Old  Eank-and-File"  is 
seldom  allowed  to  speak.  It  is  supposed  that  he 
knows  little  about  battles,  and  has  less  to  do  with 
fighting  them ;  and  it  is  only  when  the  "  big  bugs" 


240  UNION. 

fall  out,  and  cannot  agree  in  the  division  of  glory 
and  spoils,  that  "  Eank-and-File"  gets  a  hearing. 
As  he  fought  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  we  will  listen 
to  his  account  of  it.  Some  critics  suggested  a  few 
years  ago,  when  the  Century  Magazine  was  publish- 
ing its  excellent  series  of  war-sketches,  that  the 
private  soldiers  should  not  be  permitted  to  give 
their  views,  that  battles  were  fought  at  headquar- 
ters, and  not  in  the  ranks.  Headquarters  were  at 
Savannah  on  this  day,  and  there  was  no  battle 
fought  there ;  so  we  can  be  excused  for  giving  the 
battle  as  a  private  saw-  it. 

Mark  Stevens  reached  Shiloh  on  March  29th, 
and  went  at  once  to  his  regiment,  which  was  in 
Sherman's  division  in  the  front,  two  or  three  miles 
out  from  the  river.  On  the  way  from  the  river  to 
the  camp,  he  noticed  that  the  land  was  nearly  level, 
or  slightly  undulating,  covered  with  forests,  with 
an  occasional  cleared  field.  He  passed  the  log 
house  known  as  Shiloh  Church,  from  which  the 
conflict  took  its  name. 

Reaching  his  company,  Mark  was  warmly  wel- 
comed by  his  companions.  Bill  Simms,  lighting 
his  pipe,  declared  that  he  was  as  proud  to  see  him 
as  a  comrade  who  once  served  with  him  under 
"  Gineral  Percy."  Sis  rubbed  his  smooth  chin 
and  grinned,  while  Abe  Bolton  began  to  narrate 
their  service  at  Donelson,  frequently  interrupted 


SHILOH.  241 

by  Bill,  who  had  had  a  similar  experience  while 
under  "  Gineral  Percy." 

Mark  was  not  yet  strong,  and  was  exempted 
from  picket  duty.  All  day  long  occasional  shots 
had  been  fired,  and  sometimes  a  volley  was  heard 
in  the  distance. 

"  I  wonder  why  them  infernal  pickets  air  fight- 
in'?"  Nick  nervously  asked. 

"  Jist  for  the  fun  of  it,"  Bill  answered,  lighting 
his  pipe. 

Sis  came  in  from  the  picket  line,  and  showed  a 
musket  ball  half  buried  in  the  stock  of  his  gun. 

"  Who  did  that?"  asked  Nick. 

"  A  Johnny  reb,"  answered  Sis.  "  Two  o'  th' 
boys  were  playin'  keards  and  blamed  if  they  didn't 
shoot  one's  fingers  off." 

"And  spiled  his  hand,"  put  in  Bill. 

Shortly  after  this,  Mark  and  Sis  went  down  to 
the  sutler's  tent  to  make  some  purchases.  The 
sutler's  name  was  L.  M.  Blakeley.  He  had  grown 
a  trifle  nervous,  and  when  he  and  his  assistant,  a 
negro  called  Dock,  were  alone,  he  cursed  the  offi- 
cers from  Grant  to  corporal  for  incompetency. 

"  I'll  bet.  Dock,  we  git  licked  like  thunder  right 
here,"  Blakeley  declared.  When  Sis  and  Mark 
approached  the  sutler's  tent,  he  asked: 

"  Wall,  boys,  what  news  in  front?    Have  ye  been 
on  picket,  Sis?" 
16 


•243  UNION. 

"  Yes. " 

"  Will  there  be  a  fight?" 

"  Yes;  ye  kin  look  for  it  right  soon." 

"  Why,  I  heard  Gineral  Grant  say  they  wouldn't 
dare  figlit  us. " 

"  He'll  find  he  is  mistaken  before  this  time  to- 
morrow," Sis  answered. 

As  they  returned  to  their  quarters,  Mark  asked: 

"  Sis,  do  you  really  think  there  is  going  to  be  a 
fight?" 

"  I  do ;  I  tell  you  we'll  have  it  before  two  days.  " 

Mark  spent  the  day  in  lying  about  camp,  reading 
a  novel.  At  taps  he  turned  in  and  went  to  sleej). 
He  remembered  that  just  before  closing  his  ej^es, 
he  heard  distant  firing  a  mile  or  two  away,  and  he 
entertained  a  vague  suspicion  that  the  pickets  were 
shooting  at  somebody,  or  being  shot,  he  was  not 
certain  which.  Then  he  closed  his  eyes  and  went 
to  sleep. 

Mark  never  had  sweeter  sleep.  His  dreams 
were  clear,  distinct  and  pleasant.  He  was  once 
more  with  Elsie  Cole,  roaming  through  the  flowery 
plains  of  Florida.  They  walked  hand  in  hand 
with  the  confidence  of  children  and  the  affection  of 
lovers.  That  great  load  which  had  been  bowing 
him  down,  had  roHed  away, — that  skeleton  in  the 
closet  was  forever  gone,  and  he  was  free  to  love, 
woo  and  win. 


*  SHILOH.  243 

At  two,  he  was  parti  all}'  roused  by  one  of  the 
pickets  coming  in  off  duty.  As  he  unbuckled  his 
belt  and  laid  his  accoutrements  awaj",  he  casually 
remarked  m  answer  to  some  question  which  Mark 
did  not  hear: 

"  We'll  have  h — 1  afore  mornin' !" 

The  tired  soldiers  paid  such  little  heed  to  the 
remark,  that  nearly  all  sunk  into  profound  slum- 
ber a  moment  later.  Mark  had  been  asleep  about 
two  hours  longer,  when  he  was  awakened  by 
some  one  shaking  his  shoulder,  and  heard  the  voice 
of  the  orderly  sergeant  saying: 

"  Hurr}^  up,  boys,  dress  and  fall  in!" 

Some  one  had  lighted  a  candle  in  the  tent,  and 
Mark,  glancing  at  his  watch,  saw  that  it  was  four 
o'clock.  With  the  aid  of  Sis,  he  found  his  gun 
and  accoutrements. 

"  Is  your  box  full  of  cartridges?"  Sis  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  have  forty  rounds. " 

"That'll  be  more'n  we  need,"  some  one  boast- 
ingly  put  in.  "  They  will  run  after  the  third 
round. " 

The  men  were  hurriedly  buckling  on  belts  and 
adjustmg  straps  over  their  shoulders.  When 
Mark  left  the  tent,  he  found  Captain  Hawk  and 
his  lieutenants  forming  their  line  directl}'  in  front 
of  their  tents,  about  a  hundred  paces  from  them. 
Mark  took   his  place   in   the   line,  and   then  they 


244  UNION.  * 

stood  at  a  parade  rest,  listening  for  some  sound  of 
the  enemy.  Only  the  wailing  of  the  night  wind, 
like  some  lost  spirit  as  it  sighed  through  the  tree 
tops,  could  be  heard.  Mark  found  his  imagina- 
tion grown  active,  and  the  effect  it  had  on  his 
nerves  no  one  can  understand,  save  those  who  have 
gone  through  similar  experiences.  He  imagined 
every  snapping  of  a  twig  an  enemy.  He  could 
not  determine  whether  there  were  skirmishers  or  a 
picket  line  in  front,  and  sometimes  was  quite  sure 
he  heard  a  line  of  battle  advancing.  At  times  he 
shivered  with  mingled  dread  and  cold.  The 
hours  wore  on,  daylight  came,  and  thej'  were  or- 
dered to  stack  arms  and  get  breakfast. 

"Keep  3-our  accoutrements  on,"  said  Captain 
Hawk.  "  You  may  have  to  jump  to  your  line  at 
any  moment. "  Mark  went  to  the  rear  of  the  tent 
where  there  was  a  barrel  of  water,  filled  his  can- 
teen and,  dipping  out  a  basin  full,  washed  his 
hands  and  face.  By  the  time  he  had  completed 
his  toilet,  breakfast  was  ready,  and  he  sat  down 
with  his  mess  to  eat  it. 

During  the  meal,  they  heard  a  steady  noise,  left 
in  front,  which  gradually  drew  nearer  and  swelled 
into  a  continuous  roar.  This  was  the  attack  on 
General  Prentiss'  advance.  Mark  had  just  finished 
his  breakfast  and  was  wiping  his  mouth  with  his 
handkerchief, wlien  the  drums  sounded  the  lone;  roll. 


SHILOH.  245 

"Fall  in!     Fall  in!" 

The  terrible  command  rang  out  along  the  entire 
line.  He  who  has  never  heard  the  long  roll  on 
the  battle  field,  can  form  but  slight  conception  of 
the  sensations  it  produces.  It  is  the  dread  alarm 
which  summons  men  forth  to  die. 

In  three  or  four  seconds,  the  entire  division  was 
in  line  and,  taking  arms,  stood  ready  and  waiting. 
By  this  time  the  roar  of  l)attle  was  growing  heavier 
and  heavier,  and  the  thunder  of  cannon  was  shak- 
ing the  earth.  Mark  heard  one  of  the  file  closers 
say: 

"  Old  Ben  Prentiss  is  havin'  it  hot  and  heavy 
over  there. " 

The  officers  were  hurrying  up  and  down  the 
ranks,  trying  to  conceal  their  own  anxieties  by 
saying : 

"  Keep  cool,  boys, — keep  cool, — take  it  easy, 
and  wait  until  they  are  near  enough  to  see  them, 
and  make  your  shots  sure. " 

How  long  the  line  stood  thus  with  the  wild 
storm  of  battle  raging  over  where  Prentiss'  brigade 
was  fighting  forty  thousand  Confederates,  Mark 
never  knew ;  but  it  seemed  hours. 

So  ill  formed  were  the  troops,  that  there  were 
wide  gaps  between  the  divisions.  As  they  stood 
in  front  of  their  tents  listening  t(^  the  trembling 
thunder,  the  rolling  storm  sweeping  down  on  Pren- 


246  UNION. 

tiss,  a  liorseman  suddenl}'  appeared  from  their  left, 
spurring  at  full  speed  toward  a  group  of  officers 
already  in  consultation.  It  proved  to  be  .an  orderly 
with  dispatches  from  some  one. 

A  few  moments  later,  the  command  rang  alons; 
the  line. 

"Carry  arms!— left  face!" 

In  a  moment  the  entire  line  had  faced  to  the 
left.  "Trail  arms!  Forward,  double  quick — 
march!" 

Away  they  went  at  full  speed,  running  in  a  south- 
east direction,  toward  the  storm.  All  the  while 
the  battle  was  approaching,  and  from  the  woods 
on  their  right,  the  rebel  skirmishers  were  firin"; 
through  their  ranks.  Lieutenant  Guinn  suddenly 
uttered  a  groan  and  grasped  his  leg  m  his  hraids. 
It  had  been  shattered  by  a  bullet.  He  was  the 
first  man  Mark  Stevens  saw  struck  that  day. 
Three  of  his  comrades  took  him  up  and  hurried 
him  from  the  Held. 

By  this  time,  all  was  wild  confusion.  The  up- 
roar was  tremendous.  On  every  side  came  the 
peals  of  cannon,  the  crack  of  musketry,  while  the 
earth  trembled  beneath  the  explosion  of  shells. 

The  sutler,  L.  M.  Blakeley,  took  fright  at  first 
shock  of  battle  and  ran,  leaving  all  his  stores. 
Ilis  negro  assistant  "  Dock"  harnessed  the  mules 
amid   the   flying  bullets,  loaded   the   w^agon  to  its 


SHILOH.  24T 

fullest  capacity,  and  drove  off  at  a  gallop  toward 
the  river  amid  the  screaming  shells  and  whizzing 
bullets. 

As  the  regiment  was  running  left  oblicjue,  double 
quick,  Mark  heard  a  crashing,  tearing  and  snort- 
ing of  horses,  and  oaths  of  drivers,  and  turning  his 
eyes  in  that  direction,  saw^  a  battery  hopelessly 
tangled  up  in  the  l)ushes  and  trees. 

During  the  time  they  were  changing  position, 
thev  paid  no  attention  to  the  shots  of  the  enemy, 
which  whistled  like  hail  through  their  ranks. 

"Halt!" 

They  had  run  about  a  mile  when  this  command 
came.  They  obeyed,  and  changed  front,  march- 
ing by  the  right  flank  forward,  and  formed  a  line 
of  battle.  Through  the  opening  in  the  wood, 
Mark  now  saw  the  enemy  not  over  two  or  three 
hundred  yards  distant.  The  crashing  of  cannon 
and  falling  of  branches,  cut  oft'  by  the  iron  balls, 
mi  no-led  with  the  roar  of  small  arms,  and  continuous 
yelling,  made  it  seem  as  if  pandemonium  reigned. 

Some  one  gave  the  command  to  charge;  and 
companies  B  and  H,  of  the  Sixth  Iowa  infantry, 
with  fixed  bayonets  charged  the  enemy.  Ere  they 
had  run  a  hundred  paces,  half  of  their  number  had 
been  shot  down.  In  Company  B,  John  Uphard 
fell  with  a  leg  shattered  by  a  musket  ball.  His 
brother  "Billy,"  who  was  a  favorite  in  the  regi- 


248  UNION. 

ment,  ran  to  his  assistance,  and  was  standing  over 
him  to  lift  him  up,  when  two  bullets  passed 
through  his  body,  and  he  fell  dead  on  his  wounded 
brother.  Companies  H  and  B  fell  back  to  their 
regimental  line,  and  then  there  rang  out  along  the 
line,  the  command : 

"  Lie  down, — down  all !" 

In  a  moment  the  men  fell  upon  the  ground, 
firing  and  turning  over  on  their  backs  to  load. 
The  oft  repeated  command  given  by  the  petty  offi- 
cers, "  Give  'em  h — 1 1"  rang  along  the  line. 

When  they  commenced  shooting,  the  enemy's 
fire  slackened.  On  Mark's  right.  Captain  White, 
of  an  Iowa  regiment,  was  killed  by  a  shell. 

As  Mark  could  not  shoot  very  well  from  the 
ground,  he  crept  to  a  tree  near,  and  kneeling  by 
it,  loaded  and  fired  as  rapidly  as  he  could.  In 
the  hurried  formation  or  rapid  march,  Mark's  com- 
pany had  become  partially  mixed  with  some  Iowa 
troop?.  One  of  these,  named  Bill  Spain,  belong- 
ing to  Compan}'  II,  0th  Iowa  Infantry  volunteers, 
was  shot  through  the  body  and  fell  within  a  few 
feet  of  Mark.  He  begged  some  one  to  cut  off  his 
cartridge  box,  as  it  was  hurting  him. 

"  I  will  do  it,  as  soon  as  I  am  out  of  cartridges, " 
said  another  of  the  same  company,  named  Orcinas 
Snider,  who  standing  behind  a  tree  not  ten  feet 
away,    was    loading    and    firing    with    marvellous 


SHILOH.  249 

rapidity.  Mark,  moved  by  tlie  cries  of  the  fallen 
Spain,  went  and  got  bis  cartridge  box,  and  again 
liugged  tbe  tree. 

Soon  tbe  bullets  began  flying  all  about  bini, 
and  be  discovered  tbat  tbey  were  knocking  tbe 
bark  up  in  bis  face.  Glancing  off  to  tbe  left, 
be  saw  tbat  tbe  enemy  bad  flanked  bim  and  tbat 
but  few  of  bis  comrades  could  be  seen.  Orders 
bad  been  given  to  fall  back,  wbicli  be  bad  not 
beard. 

At  tbe  rear  was  an  open  field  of  a  few  acres. 
Most  of  tbe  army  bad  retired  beyond  tbat.  Grape- 
shot,  canister  and  musket  balls  were  raking  the 
open  field,  and  be  dreaded  to  attempt  to  cross  it. 

Biting  cartridges  soon  filled  bis  mouth  with 
powder,  and  provoked  a  thirst  tbat  was  madden- 
ing. There  was  a  pile  of  logs  at  his  right,  where 
tbey  had  been  carried  off  tbe  field  to  make  a  re- 
view ground.  He  saw  Dick  Mattern,  a  musician, 
Sis,  and  two  or  three  others,  behind  the  logs,  and 
halted  with  them  to  load  and  shoot  a  few  more 
rounds.  He  was  reloading  bis  gun  when  Sis  look- 
ing up  cried: 

"  Great  Scott,  look  at  tbe  rebels!"  Tbey  were 
flanking  them  on  both  sides,  and  tbe  only  show 
now  was  to  cross  the  open  field,  which  was  con- 
tinually swept  with  grape,  canister  and  musket 
balls.      Mark  was  already  reeking  with  perspira- 


250  UNION. 

tion,  and  the  constant  wiping  his  face  witli  his 
powder  covered  hands  had  smeared  it  until  he  was 
black  as  a  negro. 

Half  a  dozen  or  more  started  to  run  across  the 
field,  and  Mark  saw  two  go  down.  A  grapeshot 
cut  off  the  stock  of  his  gun,  and  he  threw  the  use- 
less barrel  away.  A  soldier  was  lying  dead  aljout 
forty  yards  before  him,  his  gun  at  his  side.  Mark 
discovered  that  their  guns  were  of  the  same  cali- 
bre, and  he  picked  up  the  dead  man's  musket  as 
he  ran. 

He  saw  a  tall  man  just  in  front  of  him,  seem- 
ingly outstripping  the  wind.  Mark  envied  him 
his  long  legs,  yet  they  were  not  sufficient  to  save 
him.  The  tall  man  suddenly  tumbled  head  fore- 
most on  the  ground,  face  downward. 

"He  stumbled,  and  is  stunned  by  the  fall," 
Mark  thought. 

His  course  took  him  past  the  fallen  man,  and 
he  was  about  to  call  to  him  to  get  up,  when  he 
discovered  that  the  top  of  his  head  had  been  shot 
away. 

Mark  felt  a  slight  sting  at  his  side,  and  some- 
thing  trickling  down.  At  first  he  thought  himseL" 
wounded,  but  it  proved  to  be  that  a  bullet  had 
gone  through  his  canteen.  The  same  shot  had 
cut  the  string  of  his  haversack,  and  he  lost  his 
rations. 


SHILOH.  251 

Dick  Mattern  ^  got  across  safe,  tliongli  a  bullet 
cut  off  the  mouth -piece  of.  his  cornet,  and  Sis 
reached  the  woods  beyond,  unhurt.  B}'  this  time 
Mark  was  suffering  so  from  thirst  that  he  resolved 
to  drink  at  the  first  pool  of  water  lie  came  to.  re- 
gardless of  danger.  He  soon  discovered  a  pool 
twenty  feet  long  by  five  wide,  and  ch-opping  on 
his  hands  and  knees,  thrust  his  face  into  the  water, 
until  it  almost  came  in  at  his  ears  and  drank. 
Having  slaked  Ihs  thirst,  he  raised  his  head  and 
saw  a  dead  man  lying  near  the  edge  of  the  pool. 
He  had  been  sliot  in  the  head,  and  the  blood  was 
trickling  down  to  the  water's  edge. 

About  one  hundred  yards  from  the  pool,  he 
found  the  regiment.  They  had  fallen  back  for 
two  reasons;  first,  they  were  out-flanked,  and, 
second,  they  were  out  of  ammunition.  So  poorly 
was  the  army  managed,  that  they  were  out  of  am- 
munition half  the  time.  The  want  of  cohesion  and 
concert  of  action  in  the  Union  ranks  that  day  is 
conspicuously  indicated  in  the  official  reports.  A 
regiment  was  rarely  ever  overcome  in  front,  but 
fell  back  because  the  regiment  or  division  on  the 
right  or  left  had  done  so,  and  thus  left  its  flank 
exposed.  It  then  continued  its  backward  move- 
ment until  it  was  well  under  shelter,  thus  exposing 

*  Two  or  three  years  ago  Dick  Mattern  was  still  living. 
He  was  then  a  musical  director  in  Chicago. 


252  UNION. 

the  flanks  of  its  neighbor,  who  in  turn  also  fell 
back.  Once  in  operation,  tlie  process  repeats  itself 
indefinitel}^,  sometimes  step  by  step  and  again  by 
flight  and  rout.  The  out-flanking,  so  common  at 
Shi  loll,  could  not  be  excused  on  the  plea  that 
they  had  inferior  commanders;  but  it  was  the 
practical  consequence  of  the  absence  of  a  common 
head,  and  the  want  of  judicious  use  of  reserves  to 
counteract  partial  reverses,  and  preserve  the  front 
of  the  battle. 

In  a  short  time  after  the  regiment  had  made  a 
stand,  it  was  again  out  of  ammunition.  Again 
they  were  out-flanked  and  fell  back.  ■  They  hugged 
the  swamp  on  their  right,  and  had  only  their  left 
to  fear.  Another  stand  was  made,  and  they  fought 
until  after  the  sun  had  passed  the  meridian.  By 
this  time  their  prospects  of  success  seemed  poor. 
Again  they  were  compelled  to  fall  back.  A 
branch,  cut  from  a  tree  hy  a  cannon  ball,  fell  upon 
Mark,  knocked  him  senseless  and  broke  his  gun. 
He  recovered  in  time  to  join  the  regiment.  He 
had  no  trouble  now  to  find  another  gun,  for  the 
field  was  strewn  with  arms  of  all  kinds. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  when  the  regiment  made 
its  last  stand.  By  this  time  regimental  organiza- 
tions were  almost  wholly  lost,  and  Mark  found 
himself  mixed  up  with  Iowa,  Illinois,  and  Ohio 
soldiers.      The  enemy  could  be  seen  on  the   hill 


SHILOH.  253 

above  them,  bringing  up  batteries  and  siege  guns. 
Cannon  roared,  and  storms  of  grapesliot  and  canis- 
ter swept  through  their  ranks ;  but  the  soldiers 
held  their  ground.  Few  commands  were  given, 
and  for  a  long  time  there  seemed  to  be  no  one  to 
command.  The  men  acted  on  impulse  in  concert. 
Three  times  thej  repelled  the  fierce  charges  of  the 
enemy ;  but  the  day  was  well  nigh  spent,  and  so 
was  the  fury  of  the  attack.  Far  on  their  left  could 
be  heard  the  roar  of  Webster's  artillery,  and  the 
cannon  from  the  gunboats,  Tyler  and  Lexington. 
Bugles  sounded,  wild  cheers  rose  on  the  air.  Buell 
had  come,  and  they,  were  saved.  Nelson,  leading 
Buell 's  advance,  had  crossed  the  Tennessee,  and 
regiment  after  regiment  quickly  formed  and  hur- 
ried to  the  front.  The  roar  of  battle  was  momen- 
tarily renewed  and  the  Confederates  fell  back,  re- 
lieving the  exhausted  soldiers  who  had  fought 
since  early  morning.  The  storm  of  battle  retired, 
leaving  the  officers  and  men  huddled  together  in  an 
indiscriminate  mass.  It  was  some  hours  before 
they  began  to  re-form  and  re -organize. 

Darkness  came  quickly  over  the  scene,  and  the 
woods  having  been  fired  by  the  explosion  of  shells, 
a  terrible  conflagration  threatened  to  add  to  the 
other  horrors.  About  ten  o'clock  that  night,  a 
merciful  Providence  drenched  the  field  with  pour- 
ing rain,  which  lightened  the  suffering  of  many  a 


254  UNION. 

wounded  hero,  and  extinguished  the  fire  which 
threatened  him  with  a  terrible  death.  Mark 
thought  it  the  darkest  night  he  had  ever  seen.  The 
air  was  filled  with  groans  and  cries  of  the  wounded. 
Part  of  the  time  he  stood  up,  and  a  part  of  the 
time  lay  down  in  the  mud  and  rain ;  but  he  could 
not  sleep. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  General 
Grant  came  to  within  a  few  rods  of  him  and  lay 
down  on  a  board  to  sleep  or  rest.  By  this  time 
the  rain  had  ceased,  falling  in  torrents,  though 
all  night  long  it  came  in  a  fine  mist. 

Mark  spent  the  night  wandering  up  and  down 
the  line  for  food.  He  was  hungry  after  the  long 
hard  fight,  and  had  lost  his  rations.  It  was  broad 
day  before  he  found  Sis,  who  had  some  "  soft 
bread"  and  raw  bacon,  which  he  divided  with  him, 
and  which  they  ate  without  cooking.  It  was  still 
drizzling  when  morning  came. 

The  bugle  sounded,  they  fell  in,  and  the  roll 
was  called.  Many  a  gallant  fellow  failed  to  answer 
to  his  name.  Abe  Bolton  was  dead,  Nick  Marks 
and  Chris  Creps  both  mortally  wounded.  But 
Bill  Simms  answered  while  he  filled  his  pipe,  and 
muttered,  "  I  swear  this  beats  anything  I  ever 
saw  with  Gineral  Percy." 

Shortly  after  roll  call,  they  began  to  advance. 
But  Buell's  army  was  now  doing  the  work.      The 


SHILOH.  255 

roar  of  guns  told  that  the  battle  was  still  stub- 
born. The  Confederates,  overwhelmed  by  num- 
bers, retreated  from  the  field,  leaving  Buell  in 
possession.  Blakeley  came  back  and  set  up  his 
sutler's  shop,  and  Mark  and  Sis  bought  some  food  ; 
then  helped  gather  up  the  dead  and  wounded,  after 
which  came  a  short  season  of  rest. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ALEC    AND    MARK. 

For  some  time  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  Gen- 
eral Grant  was  under  a  cloud.  Various  unjust 
charges  were  laid  at  his  door.  Under  all  the  abuse 
heaped  upon  him,  General  Grant  had  a  firm  friend 
in  President  Lincoln,  and  though  for  awhile  he  re- 
mained under  the  cloud,  in  time  he  came  out  into 
the  sunshine  of  almost  unparalleled  popularity. 
General  Halleck  superseded  Grant,  and,  on  May 
10th,. captured  Island  Number  Ten,  a  Confederate 
stronghold,  which  greatly  encouraged  the  loyal 
people  in  the  North  and  South. 

The  summer  passed  with  alternating  success  and 
disaster  to  the  Union  cause.  At  times  freedom's 
lamp  seemed  burning  low,  and  loyal  hearts  were 
almost  ready  to  despair. 

One  afternoon,  just  before  the  battle  of  luka, 
Mississippi,  Mark  Stevens  was  on  one  of  the  extreme 
outposts.  It  began  to  rain.  There  was  a  lull  m 
hostilities  just  then,  and  there  was  a  sort  of  tacit 
understanding  between  opposing  pickets  that  there 
should  be  no  firing.  Mark's  post  was  under  a 
256 


ALEC  AND  MABK.  257 

dead,  leafless  tree,  with  a  screen  of  bushes  in  front. 
Having  no  poncho  to  keep  him  dry,  and  knowing 
it  would  be  over  an  hour  before  he  would  be  re- 
lieved, he  advanced  at  "  left  oblique"  about  forty 
paces  to  a  large  tree  which  promised  shelter.  He 
had  stood  with  his  back  to  the  trunk  for  ten  or  fif- 
teen minutes  listening  to  the  rain  pattering  on  the 
leafy  roof  above  him,  when  he  thought  he  heard  a 
noise  on  the  other  side.  Pigs  were  often  met  with 
in  the  woods  on  their  front,  and  as  Mark  turned 
and  carefully  poked  his  head  out  from  behind  the 
trunk  he  fully  expected  to  see  one.  What  he  did 
see  was  a  man,  who  poked  his  head  out  to  look 
around  on  Mark's  side.  It  w^as  a  sun-browned 
face  covered  with  a  scraggy  beard,  surmounted  by 
an  old,  drab-colored  hat,  with  a  narrow  rim  and 
peaked  crown.  Below  the  face  was  the  collar  of 
the  gray  coat  of  a  Confederate.  The  tree  was  only 
about  three  feet  through,  and  their  faces  were 
within  a  foot  of  each  other.  Mark  knew  at  a 
glance  that  he  was  a  Confederate,  and  the  other 
seemed  to  realize  that  he  was  a  United  States  sol- 
dier. They  gazed  at  each  other  for  half  a  minute, 
and  then  the  man  in  gray  clothes,  in  a  hoarse,  un- 
natural voice,  asked : 

"That  you,  Yank?" 

"Yes;    that  you,   Johnny?"  asked  Mark   in  a 
voice  made  husk}'  by  surprise. 
17 


258  UNION. 

"  Thought  you  was  hogs. " 

"So  did  I." 

"  What  you  going  to  do  about  it?" 

"  Nothing." 

"  That  suits  me.  Come  round  here  on  m}-  drj^ 
spot." 

Without  any  hesitation,  Mark  Stevens  complied. 
There  was  something  frank  and  lionest  in  that 
sunbrowned  bearded  face  and  the  voice,  which,  liice 
his  own,  was  hoarse  from  sleeping  on  the  ground, 
exposed  to  all  sorts  of  weather.  There  was  some- 
thing strangely  familiar  in  l)otli  voice  and  face. 

He  came  round  to  where  the  rebel  was,  and  for 
a  moment  they  stood  gazing  at  each  other  in  amaze- 
ment. Then,  droppiiig  muskets  to  the  earth,  they 
cried : 

'•Mark!" 

"Alec!" 

Next  moment  they  were  clasped  in  each  other's 
arms,  tears  streaming  down  their  cheeks.  It 
might  seem  foolish  and  unmanly  for  those  great, 
bearded  men  to  cry  like  children;  but  the  lieart  of 
the  bravest  soldier  is  tender,  if  his  trade  is  cruel. 
After  the  first  tempest  of  emotion  had  passed  away, 
they  sat  down  side  by  side  alternately  laughing 
and  crying.      Alec  was  first  to  speak.      He  said: 

"  Mark,  are  3'ou  a  soldier  or  an  officer?" 

"  Only  a  private,  Alec." 


"That  you,  Yank?" 


260  UNION. 

"So  am  I." 

"  I  enlisted  as  a  private. " 

"  So  did  I,  and  I  have  not  gone  back  any,  nor 
have  I  gone  forward.  I  have  been  at  a  standstill. 
Promotions  from  the  ranks  come  precious  slow. 
They  have  flown  all  around  me,  and  sometimes  I 
can't  see  why  they  missed  me.  I  tell  you,  Mark, 
it  is  in  the  army  just  like  in  everything  else;  if  a 
fellow  gets  caught  in  the  current,  he  goes  flying 
on  to  success.  If  he  don't,  he  has  a  hard  time  of 
it.  Why,  there  are  some  fellows  who  went  right 
up  from  captain  to  general,  who  don't  know  any 
more  than  I  do;  but  they  were  in  the  swim,  and 
I  was  left  out.  I  think  that  fate  has  put  her 
thumb  on  me  to  hold  me  down.  Then  I  don't 
care.  I  am  not  fighting  for  glory  or  fame,  and  the 
fact  is  I  am  sometimes  so  infernally  befuddled  that 
I  don't  know  what  I  am  fighting  for.  Mark,  you 
may  not  believe  it,  but  the  other  night  as  I  lay  on 
picket  line,  and  heard  your  bands  playing  the  old 
'Star  Spangled  Banner,'  some  kind  of  a  weakness 
came  over  me,  and  I  cried  like  a  baby;  I  couldn't 
help  it.  Once,  wdien  I  saw  the  head  of  your  col- 
umn marching,  and  caught  sight  of  those  glorious 
old  Stars  and  Stripes,  under  which  I  was  born  and 
used  to  make  so  many  Fourth  of  July  speeches,  I 
took  off  my  hat  and  began  to  cheer.  My  lieuten- 
ant grabbed  me  by  the  shoulders  and  asked : 


ALEC  AND  3IARK.  261 

"  "What  the  d — 1  are  you  cheering  for?' 

"It's  the  old  flag.  See,  it's  the  old  flag!"  I 
cried,  pointing  to  your  banner.  The  officer  did 
not  like  it  one  bit,  and  he  shoved  me  down  the 
road  saying: 

"  'You  fool,  if  you  don't  want  to  be  killed  or 
captured,  you  had  better  turn  your  back  on  the 
old  flag,  and  skeedaddle!' 

"  Then  I  remembered,  Mark,  that  that  old  ban- 
ner, that  pretty  banner  under  which  my  great- 
grandfather fought  with  Washington,  and  my 
grandfather  fought  under  at  Lundj-'s  Lane,  was 
my  flag  no  longer,  and  I  shed  tears.  Oh.  Mark! 
this  cussed  war  is  just  killing  all  of  us.  It  makes 
brothers  hate  brothers. " 

"  It  is  an  unfortunate  war,  Alec. " 

"  I  believe  the  South  were  fools  to  secede.  The 
North  couldn't  have  got  their  niggers.  Now 
they'll  have  'em  as  sure  as  guns  made  of  iron. 
The  impudent  black  cusses  are  alread}-  getting  un- 
bearable.     I  wish  they  were  all  in  Africa." 

Alec  ran  on  in  his  usual  strain  for  some  time, 
and  Mark  was  unable  to  get  in  a  word,  while  there 
was  so  much  he  wished  to  talk  about.  He  wanted 
to  know  when  Alec  was  transferred  from  the  eastern 
to  the  western  army. 

"Oh,  yes;  well,  you  see  it  was  when  General 
Beauregard  was  sent  over  to  this  country  that  I 


263  UNION. 

came.  They  sent  several  of  his  old  regiments  with 
him,  and  mine  among  the  others.  Say,  Mark,  do 
you  have  any  coffee  in  your  camp?" 

"Yes." 

"  Great  guns !     I  wish  3'ou  had  brought  some. " 

"  Alec,  if  I  had  known  that  I  was  going  to  meet 
you,  I  would  have  filled  my  pockets.  You  poor 
boys  must  fare  badly." 

"  Fare  badly  is  no  name  for  it,  Mark.  Why,  I 
tell  you,  we  live  on  corn  pone  and  sorghum  half 
the  time.  We  marched  to  Shiloh  and  fought  two 
days  on  less  than  half  rations.  Great  goodness,  it 
is  no  wonder  that  we  were  whipped.  A  spoonful 
of  rice  often  makes  a  meal,  and  I  have  lived  two 
days  on  an  ear  of  raw  corn.  We  have  no  money, 
except  Confederate  shinplasters,  so  depreciated  in 
value  that  it  takes  twent3^-five  dollars  to  buy  the 
commonest  kind  of  a  pair  of  shoes. " 

"  Don't  your  government  furnish  you  with 
clothes?" 

"  Sometimes,  and  sometimes  we  are  compelled 
to  go  barefooted. " 

"  Do  you  have  no  hard  money  ?  " 

"No." 

Mark  drew  from  his  pocket  ten  dollars  in  gold, 
and  some  silver  coin.  Gold  and  silver  were  scarce 
in  both  armies;  but  Mark  had  managed  to  get 
some,  and  he  gave  all  he  had  freely  to  Alec. 


ALEC  AXD  MARK.  263 

"What!  what!  Mark,  do  you  intend  giving  me 
this  money?"  he  asked,  quite  overcome. 

"  Yes. " 
•   "  Gold  and  silver!  where  did  you  get  it?" 

"  From  liome;  father  sent  it  to  me." 

"  Why,  Mark,  a  handful  of  that  would  buy  our 
entire  camp.  No  one  there  has  seen  as  much  gold 
as  this  in  a  year. " 

"  Alec,  I  want  to  ask  you  about  home." 

"Well,  Mark,  last  I  heard  from  home,  mother 
and  father  were  well  and  still  living  on  the  old 
farm.  My  brother  Geoi'ge  was  killed  at  Pensa- 
cola." 

"  And  your  relatives  in  Charleston?" 

"  Dick  Stevens  went  to  England,  and  I  heard 
was  on  board  the  Confederate  cruiser  Alabama, 
with  Charles  Cole,  a  cousin  of  his,  and  a  brother 
of  Elsie  Cole." 

Mark  was  silent  for  a  few  moments.  The  vital 
question  had  not  been  asked.  How  dared  he  ap- 
proach a  subject  so  much  and  yet  so  little  to  him? 

"  Alec,  are  you  married?" 

"Married?  No.  Why,  do  you  think  I  look 
like  a  married  man?  These  times  are  Loo  hard  to 
marry  or  think  of  giving  in  mai-riage.  A  countr}' 
that's  a  military  camp  from  one  end  to  the  other; 
— a  land  that  has  for  its  chief  diet  rice  and  cotton- 
seed ;  where  the  masters  are  begging  their  niggers 


264  UNION. 

to  let  them  share  their  quarters  with  them,  is  too 
poor  to  think  of  marrying. " 
"Where  is  Elsie  Cole?" 

"  I  don't  know,  Mark.  I  last  saw  her  in  Rich' 
mond." 

"  Is  she  the  same  determined  little  rebel?" 
"  Yes,  yes,  Elsie  is  Secesh  through  and  through. 
I  never  saw  such  a  girl,  Mark.  She  was  raised  in 
ease  and  luxury  like  most  of  the  girls  of  the  South. 
Life  with  them  was  a  pleasant  summer  picnic,  and 
they  never  had  a  care;  but  the  southern  girls  have 
spirit,  Mark,  and  when  the  war  broke  out  all  went 
to  work  doing  something  for  the  southern  cause. " 
"Elsie,  too?" 

"  Yes ;  those  pretty  white  fingers  learned  to 
handle  the  needle.  They  were  awkward  at  first, 
but  they  soon  came  to  manage  it. " 

"  Alec,  why  did  you  not  marry  Elsie?" 
"  A  good  reason.  I  could  never  get  her  in  the 
notion.  Whenever  I  began  to  mention  the  sub- 
ject, or  even  approach  it,  she  would  just  laugh  at 
me,  and  then  I  felt  just  like  a  fool.  Why  didn't 
you  marry  her,  Mark?" 

Mark,  shuddering,  answered: 
"  Alec,  I  am  a  consummate  villain." 
"  No,  you  are  not.      Why  do  you  say  you  are? 
You  loved  Elsie,  and  she  loved  you,  and  yet  you 
never  proposed?" 


ALEC  AND  MARK.  265 

"  No,  no,  thank  Heaven  I  never  did.  I  tried 
never  to  talk  of  love  to  her ;  but  in  some  of  my 
insane  moments,  I  might  have  said  something  ap- 
proximating the  subject. " 

Alec  was  silent  a  moment,  as  he  punched  the 
point  of  his  bayonet  into  a  bit  of  rotten  wood. 

"  And  it  was  all  on  my  account,  Mark,"  he  said. 
"  You  did  it  all  on  my  account;  but  you  needn't. 
Elsie  don't  care  for  me  only  as  a  sort  of  a  conve- 
nience to  run  errands  and  such  like. " 

"  Alec,  it  was  not  on  your  account.  No,  you 
make  me  too  good,  too  noble  to  accredit  such 
action  to  your  account,  or  an}^  regard  I  may  have 
for  any  one.  I  am  miserabl}"  selfish.  I  am 
wretched." 

"  Well,  Mark,  on  whose  account  was  it?  Why 
didn't  you  propose?" 

"I  cannot  tell." 

"You  loved  Elsie?" 

"  Loved  her.  Heaven  !  yes,  I  did ;  I  love  her  yet. 
I  would  give  every  moment  of  life,  every  drop  of 
blood  to  make  her  happy;  yet  I  was  too  foolish, — 
too  selfish  to  permit  you  to  woo  and  win  her. " 

Shaking  his  head  gravely.  Alec  answered: 

"  'Twouldn't  a  done  any  good,  Mark,  not  a  bit. 
She  didn't  care  one  bit  for  me,  and  she  was  never 
happy  unless  she  was  making  me  feel  just  like  a 
fool. " 


266  UNION. 

"  Yet,  but  for  me,  she  might  have  learned  to 
love  you,  Alec." 

Alec  sighed,  and  after  giving  two  or  three  more 
punches  at  the  rotten  wood  with  his  bayonet, 
answered : 

"  No,  it  wouldn't  have  done  any  good,  Mark, 
not  a  bit.  Some  other  fellow  would  have  taken 
her  from  me.  But,  Mark,  when  I  saw  that  she 
loved  you,  and  only  liked  me  as  an  easy,  good- 
natured  kind  of  a  cuss,  who  would  run  errands  for 
her  and  be  her  nigger,  I  said,  'Let  Mark  go  in 
and  win  her,  I  won't  interpose.'  It  was  only 
right. " 

Alec  Stevens,  careless  and  jolly  as  he  was,  had 
some  excellent  qualities.  He  was  one  of  the  few 
who  are  willing  to  make  martyrs  of  themselves  for 
their  friends.  The  class  to  which  he  belonged  is 
very  nearly  extinct  at  this  day.  He  was  kindness, 
gentleness  and  simplicity  itself.  Poor  Alec  was 
never  designed  for  a  soldier;  for  there  was  nothing 
cruel  in  his  nature.  He  could  not  liurt  a  worm, 
and  though  a  harum-scarum  fellow,  with  but  little 
apparent  refinement,  he  was  almost  effeminate  on 
some  subjects  and  had  a  great  respect  for  the  rights 
of  others.  No  child  loved  birds  and  llowers  more 
than  he.  To  him  they  were  emblems  of  innocence, 
happiness  and  beauty,  and  he  was  in  love  with 
nature. 


ALEC  AND   MARK.  267 

"Yon  don't  know  where  Elsie  is  now?"  Mark 
asked. 

"  I  heard  about  six  months  ago  that  she  had 
gone  back  to  Charleston,  though  I  have  not  seen 
her  for  over  a  year. " 

"  Alec,  did  you  ever  hear  her  speak  reproach- 
fully of  me?" 

"  No. " 

"  She  knew  I  had  gone  to  the  Federal  army?" 

"Yes." 

"  And  never  even  reproached  me  for  it?" 

"No." 

Mark  sighed  and  murmured: 

"  Oh !  would  to  God  it  had  been  different,  or 
that  I  had  never  seen  her. " 

'■  Well,  Mark,  you  are  the  greatest  mystery  I 
ever  met.  Why,  you  are  worse  than  a  quadratic 
equation  to  solve.  You  love  Elsie  Cole,  and  I  am 
dead  certain  that  she  loves  you.  Now,  why  in  the 
name  of  Tom  Walker's  ghost  don't  you  say  so, 
and  marry  her?" 

"  Alec,  you  don't  know  all." 

"No;  I've  all  along  been  impressed  with  the 
notion  that  there  are  several  things  I  am  incapable 
of  comprehending,  and  you  and  Elsie  are  among 
them. " 

"  You  don't  know  after  all.  Alec,  that  my  love 
is  returned.      You  have  never  heard  her  say  so." 


268  UNION. 

"  No,  and  I  wouldn't  know  it  was  so,  even  if  I 
had  heard  her  say  so;  but,  Mark,  there  are  some 
things  that  speak  louder  than  words. " 

"Actions?" 

"  Yes,  and  eyes,  cheeks,  faces,  which  turn  red 
and  pale  by  turns.  These  tell  a  great  deal  more 
than  words  do. " 

Mark  was  silent,  while  Alec  continued  to  thrust 
his  bayonet  into  the  rotten  wood.  After  a  few 
moments,  he  asked: 

"  Mark,  how  is  all  this  going  to  end?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Blamed  if  I  know  either. " 

"  I  wish  it  was  over. " 

"  Well,  Mark,  there  are  thousands  of  people  in 
the  same  fix  on  our  side.  You  don't  know  much 
of  the  South  now;  it  is  changed; — oh,  there  is  an 
awful  change.  The  great  snow-banks  of  cotton 
have  disappeared,  giving  place  to  blackened  ruins. 
The  good,  old-fashioned  country  mansions  are  no 
more.  They  have  been  burned  down,  or  converted 
into  hospitals  or  stables.  Why,  few  of  the  towns 
throughout  the  South  can  boast  of  a  church  suit- 
able to  worship  in.  Even  these  sacred  places  have 
been  made  into  barracks,  hospitals  and  stables. 
I  entered  a  church  in  Richmond  a  few  months  ago, 
and  what  a  change  war  had  made  of  it!  Nearly 
all  the  pews  had  been  split  up  for  wood.      The 


EVEN    THESE    SACRED   PLACES    HAVE   BEEN    MADE    INTO    BAll 


ALEC  AND  MARK.  269 

doors  of  the  vestibule  were  wide  open.  A  com- 
pany of  cavalry  was  quartered  there,  and  in  one 
corner  was  a  pile  of  saddles,  bridles  and  halters. 
In  another  were  carbines  and  swords;  while  sol- 
diers were  sitting  or  standing  about  in  groups, 
profaning  the  house  of  God  with  vulgar  stories 
and  oaths.  On  the  right,  to  the  rear,  was  a  man 
kneading  dough  to  bake  bread  for  his  mess  in  a 
large  cook  stove,  which  had  been  set  up  in  the 
church,  while  in  the  gallery  w^as  a  great  black - 
haired  fellow,  combing  his  head. 

"  All  ornamentation  had  disappeared,  and  that 
church,  once  the  beauty  and  pride  of  the  people 
who  worshipped  there,  was  little  more  than  a 
dilapidated  ruin. " 

"  Alec,  terrible  as  this  war  is,  I  fear  that  it  is 
not  half  over. " 

"  Not  half  over !  Oh,  heaven,  Mark,  I  hope  it  is ! 
We  cannot  stand  this  much  longer, — I  won't!" 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do.  Alec?" 

"I  don't  know." 

Mark  rose  to  his  feet  and  said : 

"  Alec,  it  is  about  time  for  my  relief  to  come. " 

"  Must  you  go,  Mark?" 

"  Yes.      When  are  you  relieved?" 

"It'll  be  an  hour." 

"  I  must  not  be  found  here  when  the  corporal  of 
the  guard  comes  with  the  relief." 


270  UNION. 

"  Mark,  it's  blamed  hard  to  have  von  go  away. 
Say,  Mark,  if  we  meet  in  a  fight,  I  believe  I  will 
know  you  now;  but  I  would  not  before." 

"  Nor  would  I  have  known  you. " 

"  I'll  shoot  high,  if  you  are  in  front." 

"  Alec,  I  would  rather  shoot  myself  than  you." 

"  Same  with  me.  If  you  never  fall  until  by  my 
bullet,  you'll  die  with  old  age  or  sickness." 

Mark  had  risen  to  his  feet,  and  grasped  Alec's 
hand.  It  had  almost  ceased  drizzling,  and  the 
sun  which  had  been  hidden  by  the  clouds  promised 
to  soon  burst  forth  in  all  its  glory  and  splendor. 
As  Alec  saw  it,  he  squeezed  his  cousin's  hand  and, 
with  strong  emotion,  said : 

"  Mark,  maybe  it  will  be  so  with  our  troubles. 
The  sun  may  break  through,  and  our  sorrows  pass 
away  like  a  storm  cloud,  and  leave  the  sun  of  hap- 
piness shining  upon  us. " 

"  Let  us  hope  so.  Alec.  I  am  going  now.  In 
less  than  ten  minutes  I  will  be  relieved.  Stay  by 
this  tree  and  don't  let  the  picket  who  takes  my  place 
see  you.  I  know  not  who  he  may  be,  and  some 
of  them  are  unscrupulous  enough  to  shoot  you." 

"I'll  lie  low,  Mark." 

"  If  it  should  be  a  friend  of  mine  on  picket,  I 
shall  tell  him  of  you,  and  then  you  will  be  safe. 
In  that  case  I  will  tie  a  white  handkerchief  on  the 
point  of  my  bayonet." 


ALEC  AND  MARK.  271 

"All  right,  and  I  will  let  him  alone." 

The  man  sent  to  relieve  Mark  was  Sis.  Mark 
knew  he  could  trust  him,  and  before  he  returned 
to  camp  he  said : 

"  Sis,  do  you  see  that  large  oak  tree?" 

"Yes." 

"  On  the  other  side  of  that  tree  I  have  a  friend 
with  whom  I  have  been  talking  for  an  hour.  He 
is  a  noble  fellow,  whom  I  love  as  a  brother.  You 
must  not  know  that  he  is  there. " 

"  Is  he  a  Johnny  reb?" 

"Yes;  but  my  relative,  my  friend,  my  more 
than  brother.  He  will  not  harm  you,  and,  what- 
ever happens,  do  him  no  harm." 

"I  won't." 

Mark  tied  a  white  handkerchief  to  the  end  of 
his  bayonet  and  went  back  to  camp.  Alec  saw 
him  from  behind  the  tree  and  knew  that  he  was 
safe  from  molestation. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE    PRETTY    SPY. 

It  is  not  the  intention  to  make  this  volume  a 
history  of  marches  and  battles.  Such  a  narrative 
would  consume  too  much  s^jace  and  destroy  the 
unity  of  the  story.  The  author  aims  to  narrate 
only  such  phases  of  the  war  as  directly  relate  to 
the  characters  in  the  story,  and  are  essential  to 
the  development  of  the  plot.  We  must  step  aside 
to  note  some  very  patent  facts  of  the  period,  which 
have  a  greater  bearing  on  the  story  than  may  at 
})resent  seem. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that,  though  England  had 
been  sneering  at  the  United  States  for  half  a  cen- 
tury because  of  the  toleration  of  slavery,  yet  when 
the  South  w^ent  to  war,  she  secretly,  and,  one 
might  almost  say,  openly  espoused  her  cause. 
It  was  not  so  much  England's  wish  to  perpetu- 
ate slavery,  as  it  was  her  great  desire  to  wit- 
ness the  disruption  of  a  country  whose  example 
is  a  standing  menace  to  monarchy.  The  Con- 
federate government  early  in  the  struggle  sent 
372 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  273 

diplomatic  agents  to  Europe;  but  these  proving 
incompetent,  they  dispatched  John  M.  Mason, 
author  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  act,  and  John  Slidell. 
They  were  captured  on  board  a  British  vessel,  the 
Trent^  by  an  American  war  ship,  the  San  Jacinto, 
commanded  by  Captain  Wilkes,  and  taken  to  Bos- 
ton ;  but,  after  some  diplomatic  correspondence  of 
a  threatening  nature,  the  United  States  govern- 
ment was  forced  to  give  them  up. 

Early  in  1862,  the  Confederate  government  was 
changed  from  a  "  provisional"  to  a  permanent  one. 
The  war  had  been  going  on  almost  two  years,  be- 
fore the  thinking  men  of  the  Republican  partv  be- 
gan to  seriously  consider  the  idea  of  the  abolition 
of  slavery.  Perhaps  it  would  not  have  been  car- 
ried out  then,  had  not  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  advisers 
discovered  that  slavery  gave  the  Confederate  cause 
its  sinews  of  strength.  It  nurtured  a  producing 
class  that  fed,  b}^  its  labor,  the  armies  arraved 
against  the  Republic;  and  onlj-  a  very  small  pro- 
portion of  that  class  were  drawn  from  the  pursuits 
of  agriculture  to  the  camps. 

It  was  not  until  this  had  become  verified,  that 
the  president  of  the  United  States  and  the  loyal 
people  resolved  to  destroy  the  system.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln proposed  to  give  pecuniary  aid  to  any  State 
government  which  might  provide  for  the  abolition 
of  slavery;  but  the  interested  friends  of  the  insti- 
18 


274  UNION. 

tution  refused  to  listen  to  any  sort  of  compromise. 
Congress  proceeded  to  abolish  slavery  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  over  which  that  body  had  di- 
rect control;  and  gave  the  president  discretionary 
powers  to  declare  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  in 
States  wherein  insurrection  existed.  Finally,  late 
in  September,  1862,  President  Lincoln  issued  a 
proclamation  in  which  he  gave  public  notice  that 
it  was  his  purpose  to  declare  such  emancipation  on 
the  first  day  of  January,  1863,  to  take  effect  im- 
mediately wherever  a  state  of  insurrection  might 
then  exist,  sinless  tJie  offenders  should  lay  doion  their 
arms. 

This  friendly  warning,  this  forbearance  to  strike 
the  blow  that  was  to  free  millions  of  bondsmen, 
was  treated  by  the  slave  holders  with  scorn ;  sneered 
at  by  them  as  an  act  of  sheer  impuissance.  It 
was  compared  to  the  "  Pope's  bull  against  the 
comet;  "  and  because  of  this  menace,  resistance 
to  the  government  was  more  rampant  than  e^'er. 
It  was  evident  that  this  warning  would  not  be 
effectual,  and  the  President  prepared  a  proclama- 
tion of  emancipation.  It  was  submitted  to  his 
cabinet  and  approved;  and  on  the  first  of  January, 
1863,  it  was  promulgated  with  the  whole  force  of 
the  Republic — its  army,  its  navy,  and  its  judiciary, 
its  executive  and  legislative  powers — back  of  it,  to 
enforce  its  provisions.      The  moral  force  of  that 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  275 

proclamation  was  tremendous.  Bj  its  act,  nearly 
four  million  slav^es  of  African  descent  were  set  free. 
From  the  hour  of  the  promulgation  of  the  procla- 
mation of  emancipation,  the  power  of  the  enemies 
of  the  government  began  to  wane.  The  South  has 
hardly  recovered  her  former  prosperity  since,  and 
will  never  again  outstrip  the  North  in  wealth  and 
power.  Slave  labor  made  cotton  king,  and  the 
loss  of  slave  labor  dethroned  the  monarch. 

But  enough  of  philosophizing;  let  us  return  to 
our  stor}-.  In  the  fierce  battle  of  luka,  won  by 
General  Rosecrans,  Mark  Stevens,  by  personal 
bravery,  saved  the  regimental  colors  and  the  life 
of  his  colonel,  who  mentioned  him  in  his  official 
report.  The  second  lieutenant,  who  had  been  ac- 
cused of  cowardice  and  dishonesty,  resigned,  to 
save  a  trial  by  court-martial,  and  Mark,  upon  a 
petition  by  the  entire  compan3\  was  promoted  over 
all  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  to  fill  the  va- 
canc}'. 

Never  did  man  feel  ]irouder  of  his  shoulder 
straps.  He  determined,  now  that  he  had  entered 
that  mysterious  and  aristocratic  circle,  "  commis- 
sioned officers,"  to  retain  his  position  if  honesty, 
industry  and  courage  would  do  it. 

The  battle  of  luka  was  fought  September  20, 
1862,  and  General  Rosecrans,  who  comm.anded  the 
army,  fell  back  shortly  after,  to  Corinth,  to  give 


276  UNION. 

his  army  a  little  rest  and  be  prepared  to  meet  the 
greater  storm  that  was  to  come  early  in  October. 

Shortly  after  Rosecrans'  army  entered  Corinth, 
there  appeared  a  young  woman,  scarce  more  than 
a  girl,  very  beautiful,  refined  and  accomplished. 
She  played  the  piano,  sang  well,  and  soon  became 
a  general  favorite.  She  expressed  much  interest 
in  military  movements  and  asked  a  great  many 
questions  of  the  officers.  She  gave  her  name  as 
Miss  Estella  Mott  from  Tennessee,  declared  that 
she  was  thoroughly  loyal,  and  dared  any  one  to 
prove  she  was  not. 

This  lovely  creature,  who  was  a  mystery  to  all, 
seemed  to  have  no  particular  acquaintances  in  the 
town.  She  excused  her  presence  by  saying  she 
had  come  to  look  for  a  brother,  who  belonged  to  a 
loyal  Tennessee  regiment,  and  had  been  captured 
by  the  rebels.  She  thought  that  he  might  have 
been  exchanged  and  sent  to  Corinth. 

This  very  interesting  3'oung  creature  boarded  at 
the  Corinth  Hotel,  the  proprietor  of  which  held 
flexible  views  on  politics.  She  became  a  great 
favorite  with  many  Union  officers,  and  proved  to 
be  an  untiring  coquette. 

Major  Micks,  a  gay  bachelor  of  thirty-five  or 
forty,  was  thonglit  to  be  the  favorite  of  the  blonde. 
The  Major  discovered  that  she  was  M'ell  educated 
and   did   not  talk,   look,  or  act   like  a   Tennessee 


THE  PRETTY  SPY. 


277 


girl.      She  was  bright  and  cheerful,  all  smiles  and 
animation,  winning  her  way  to  every  heart  by  her 
subtle  charms.      When  she  asked  Major  Micks  to 
show    her   about   the 
works,    he  of  course 
assented. 

"When  can  we 
go?"  slie  asked. 

"  This  very  after- 
noon I  shall  be  off 
dut}',"  the  major  de- 
clared. 

"  Oh,  major,  1  shall 
be  so  happy.  I  am 
so  interested  in  mili- 
tar}^  matters," 

Major  Micks  never 
felt  so  happy  as  when, 
with  the  beautiful 
Estella  Mott  on  his 
arm,  he  started  to  go  the  rounds.  Having  the 
password,  he  was  admitted  to  everj'  part  of  the 
works,  and  took  particular  pains  to  explain  every- 
thing to  her,  and  her  interest  in  the  matters  seemed 
only  equalled  by  her  admiration  of  the  major. 

"  And  those  outworks,  major,  are  your  troops 
going  to  occupy  them?"  she  asked,  glancing  at 
the    outside   rows    of  trenches,   inside    of    which 


"To  FOOL  THE  Johnny  Rebs?" 


278  UNION. 

smaller  works  were  being  constructed  by  the  en- 
gineers. 

"  Oh,  no,  those  are  only  a  sham,"  the  major  an- 
swered. 

"To  fool  the  Johnny  Rebs?"  she  asked,  with 
an  arch  smile. 

"Yes." 

She  laughed  a  merry  peal  at  the  proposed  trick, 
and  the  major  joined  her. 

"  When  do  you  expect  an  attack,  major?" 

"  Almost  any  time.  We  are  prepared  for  Price 
and  Van  Dorn  whenever  they  come. " 

"Oh,  are  you?" 

"Yes." 

"  I  suppose,  if  they  knew  it,  they  would  not 
come. " 

"  No  doubt  they  already  know  it,  but  tliere  are 
some  things  they  don't  know." 

"What  are  they?" 

"  They  don't  know  our  weak  points." 

Then,  with  a  girl's  iuquisitiveness,  she  asked: 

"  What  are  your  weakest  points?" 

"Forts  Robinette  and  Williams,"  answered  the 
major.  "  But  we  have  no  fears  of  their  attacking 
at  these  points. " 

"  Haven't  you,  really?" 

"Oh,  no." 

So  simple,  so  guileless,  and  so  girlishly  inquisi- 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  '279 

tive  was  the  fair  Estella,  that  the  major  never 
once  dreamed  she  was  aught  than  she  seemed,  a 
beautiful  Tennessee  girl,  loj^al  to  the  core.  Next 
day.  Colonel  Grafton,  of  an  Illinois  regiment, 
seemed  the  favorite  of  the  fickle  coquette.  She 
was  in  the  colonel's  society  most  of  the  time,  ask- 
ing him  as  many  questions  as  she  had  asked  the 
major,  and  gaining  very  much  valuable  informa- 
tion from  personal  observation.  They  were  re- 
turning to  the  hotel,  when  she  esjjied  a  man  across 
the  street  in  the  uniform  of  a  lieutenant.  The 
girl  shrank  back,  clinging  nervously  to  the  colonel's 
arm,  while  she  gasped: 

"Who  is  he,  colonel?" 

"  The  lieutenant?" 

"  Yes. " 

"  That  is  Lieutenant  Stevens  of  an  Indiana  regi- 
ment, recently  promoted  from  the  ranks. " 

She  made  no  response.  The  colonel  thought 
her  conduct  rather  peculiar,  but  gave  it  no  thought 
at  the  time,  and  a  moment  later,  when  they  passed 
out  of  sight  of  the  lieutenant,  she  became  the  same 
gay,  prattling,  charming,  vivacious  little  creature 
she  had  been  before. 

That  night  Mark  Stevens  was  in  his  tent  writing 
some  letters,  when  an  officer  entered  and  asked : 

"  Lieutenant  Stevens,  have  you  heard  the  latest?" 

"  No;  are  Price  and  Van  Dorn  coming?" 


280  UNION. 

"  Worse  than  that." 

"What?" 

"  A  spy  has  been  captured  to-night. " 

"  A  spy?     Where?" 

"  At  the  Corinth  Hotel.  It  seems  she  has  heen 
there  for  several  days,  flirting  with  the  officers: 
and  one  of  Baker's  secret  service  men,  having  his 
suspicions  roused,  got  on  the  trail  and  followed 
her  for  two  or  three  days,  and  to-night,  caught 
her. " 

"  Is  she  really  a  spy?" 

"  Yes, — no  doubt  of  it.  She  was  turned  over 
to  our  colonel." 

Mark  taking  an  indifferent  interest  in  the  matter 
a.sked : 

"  Is  the  proof  clear?" 

"  Not  a  doubt  of  it.  She  had  made  out  a  com- 
plete map  of  the  fort;  had  even  written  down  some 
of  the  information  she  had  gained  from  some  of 
the  officers;  and,  besides,  Joe  Putnam,  of  Com- 
pany B,  saw  her  in  Van  Dorn's  camp  when  he  was 
there  a  prisoner.  lie  says  she  is  related  to  Van 
Dorn,  a  niece,  cousin  or  something  of  the  sort. 
He  recognized  her  the  moment  he  set  eyes  on  her, 
and  set  Trotter  at  once  on  her  trail.  He  caught 
her  just  as  she  was  about  to  skip  with  all  her  in- 
formation." 

"  Surely,  she  has  played  her  part  well !" 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  281 

"  You  are  riglit  she  lias.  She  is  as  pretty  as  a 
picture,  and  I  don't  blame  those  officers  one  bit 
for  falling  in  love  with  her.  She  is  in  a  bad  fix 
now  though;  for,  pretty  as  she  is,  she  will  hang 
for  this. " 

With  a  momentary  shudder,  Mark  dismissed  the 
pretty  spy  from  his  mind,  and  turning  into  his 
bunk,  was  soon  sleeping  soundly.  Next  morning, 
shortly  after  roll  call,  an  orderly  summoned  Lieu- 
tenant Stevens  before  the  colonel.  He  found  the 
colonel,  a  stout,  bald  gentleman  with  a  very  large 
face,  and  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  looking  very 
much  perplexed. 

"Lieutenant,"  he  said,  "I  have  detailed  you  to 
take  four  men  and  guard  the  new  captive,  the  spy. 
Confound  this  business!  We  can't  confine  her 
with  the  men,  for,  spy  though  she  is,  she  is,  be- 
yond question,  a  lady." 

Guarding  a  woman  was  not  a  duty  congenial  to 
an  ambitious  young  officer,  like  Mark  Stevens; 
but  he  made  no  complaint.  He  was  longing  for 
an  opportunity  to  win  honors,  and  what  honors 
could  be  won  guarding  a  female? 

"  I  want  to  impress  on  you,  lieutenant,  the  neces- 
sity of  guarding  the  prisoner  with  the  utmost  care, " 
said  the  colonel.  "  I  hope  that  you  fully  appre- 
ciate the  importance  of  this  prisoner,  at  the  same 
time  remembering  that  she  is  a  lady,  who  is  so 


283  UMON. 

full  of  secession,  that  she  has  forfeited  her  life  for 
what  she  calls  patriotism." 

Mark  went  from  the  headquarters  of  the  colonel, 
to  the  hotel  where  the  sp}^  was  to  remain.  Mr. 
Trotter,  the  secret  service  agent,  was  at  the  door 
of  the  prisoner.  Mark  handed  him  his  order  to 
relieve  the  detective. 

"  Thank  you,  lieutenant,  I  am  pleased  to  know 
you. "  Through  the  door,  which  was  partially 
ajar,  Mark  saw  a  slender,  graceful  girl  reclining 
cm  a  sofa,  gazing  from  an  open  window.  Her  face 
was  from  him,  and  he  could  only  see  that  she  had 
golden  hair,  and  a  faultless  form.  But  when  he 
spoke  to  Mr.  Trotter,  she  suddenly  turned  so  he 
had  a  full  view  of  her  face. 

It  was  Avell  for  Mark  that  he  had  his  hand  on 
the  door;  had  he  not,  he  would  have  staggered 
and  betraj'ed  his  emotion.  Stunned,  confused  and 
bewildered  as  he  was,  he  realized  that  he  must 
conceal  everything  from  the  keen  eyes  of  the  de- 
tective. He  averted  his  face  for  a  moment  to  gain 
strength.  Mark  still  retained  his  presence  of 
mind,  though  in  a  bewildered  sort  of  a  way.  In 
five  or  six  seconds,  each  of  which  was  an  age  to 
him,  he  had  regained  his  composure,  and  turning 
his  back  upon  the  prisoner  said : 

"  Mr.  Trotter,  will  you  be  kind  enough  to  keep 
watch  until  I  select  my  guard?     It  is  not  every 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  283 

one  that   can   be   entrusted   with   such   a   delicate 
matter,  you  know. " 

"  Certainly,  lieutenant;  go  and  select  your  men, 
and  select  those  on  whom  you  can  rely." 

Mark  hurried  away.  He  felt  that  to  remain 
longer  he  would  betray  himself.  No  clearly  de- 
fined plan  had  yet  been  formed  in  his  mind.  It 
required  time  and  careful  deliberation  to  form  a 
plan.  On  reaching  the  street  he  hoped  that  fresh 
air  would  revive  him,  but  he  staggered,  and  the 
sun  seemed  to  glimmer  as  if  there  were  an  eclipse. 
He  was  forced  to  recall  himself  constantly  to  the 
terrible  present,  to  convince  himself  that  it  was 
not  all  a  horrible  dream. 

Nevertlieless,  his  mind  was  active  and  intuitively 
planning.  He  knew  that  he  must  have  four  men 
whom  he  could  trust,  and  going  to  his  company, 
he  selected  Bill  Simms,  Sis,  and  two  others,  named 
Collins  and  Bradford. 

"  Report  at  the  Corinth  Hotel  in  an  hour,"  said 
Mark. 

"Are  we  to  be  quartered  at  th'  hotel?"  asked 
Collins. 
■    "Yes." 

"  Wall,  that's  jolly  good  luck  for  us." 

"  You  bet  it  is.     I  remember  once  when    with 

Gineral  Percy "     Mark  did  not  wait  to  hear  Bill 

Simms"  reminiscences,  but  hurried  back  to  relieve 


284  UNION. 

the  secret  service  agent.  Mr.  Trotter  was  sitting 
near  tlie  door  of  the  room  in  which  he  ke|)t  his 
fair  prisoner,  reading  a  newspaper,  and  at  the  same 
time  keeping  a  lookout  for  her.  By  a  great 
effort,  Mark  had  wholly  regained  his  self-pos- 
session, and  there  was  not  the  quiver  of  a  mus- 
cle when  he  reported  ready  to  relieve  the  detective. 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  came,  lieutenant,  for  I 
have  some  very  important  matters  on  hand, "  said 
the  detective,  as  he  hurried  away. 

Mark  remained  at  the  door  listening  to  his  re- 
treating footsteps  until  he  was  well  below:  then, 
closing  the  door,  he  turned  to  the  prisoner  and  said : 

"Elsie!" 

Coldly,  proudly,  and  with  supreme  hauteur,  she 
raised  her  queenly  head  and  gave  him  a  stare. 

"Elsie,   what  does  this  mean?     Why  are  you 
here  a  prisoner  on  such  a  charge?" 
■  Though  much  of  the  sunlight  in  her  face  had 
been  obscured  by  the  clouds  of  sorrow  which  had 
hovered  over  her,  she  was  still  beautiful. 

"I  suppose  you  are  my  jailer?"  she  remarked, 
coldly. 

"  Not  of  my  own  choice.  God  knows,  when  de- 
tailed for  this  service,  I  never  dreamed  who  my 
prisoner  was  to  be." 

"  It  is  all  the  same.  You  consented  to  guard  a 
woman,  and  it  may  as  well  be  me  as  any  other." 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  385 

"  Elsie, — you  surely  do  not  know  the  duties  of 
a  soldier. " 

"I  do,  Lieutenant  Stevens.  Do  your  dvity!" 
She  turned  coldly  away  to  the  window.  Had  she 
rebuked  him  sharply,  had  she  melted  into  tears  and 
sobs,  she  would  not  have  wounded  his  feelings 
half  so  much  as  by  her  indifference. 

He  closed  the  door  and,  sinking  in  a  chair, 
buried  his  head  in  his  hands,  and  trembled  as  if  in 
an  ague  lit.  Elsie  Cole  could  be  haughty,  cold 
and  indifferent,  so  long  as  her  captors  were  stern; 
but  when  she  witnessed  the  mental  agony  of  Mark 
Stevens,  she  was  amazed,  disnia3'ed,  humiliated 
and  crushed.  Kising,  she  hastened  to  his  side, 
and  gently  laying  her  hand  on  his  shoulder  said : 

"Mark, — Mark — why  this  emotion?  Surely  it 
is  not  on  my  account — I  am  not  worth  it!" 

"  Elsie!"  he  gasped  in  a  hoarse  whisper,  "  don't 
you  realize  your  situation?" 

"1  do.  I  understand  it  fully!"  she  answered 
in  a  voice  that  was  strangely  calm.  "  I  have  been 
captured  as  a  spy  in  the  enemy's  camp.  The  rule 
of  war  is  that  a  spy  suffers  death.  I  knew  it 
when  I  undertook  the  dangerous  task.  I  was  only 
as  patriotic  to  the  poor,  losing  South  as  you  have 
been  to  the  arrogant,  haughty  North.  You  staked 
your  life  for  your  principles,  and  I  staked  my  life 
for  mine.      I  lost.      Am    I    any    better    than    the 


286  UNION. 

countless  thousands  of  other  brave  men  and  women, 
who  are  dying  all  over  the  South,  for  their  native 
land?" 

Her  voice  was  firm  and  calm,  but  had  nothing 
arrogant  about  it.  She  offered  no  censure,  and 
asked  no  favor.  She  had  never  seemed  more 
beautiful  and  angelic  than  now. 

Mark  went  to  the  door,  glanced  out  into  the 
hall  to  assure  himself  no  one  was  listening,  then 
returned  to  the  room,  gently  closing  the  door  and 
bolted  it  to  secure  them  against  intrusion.  She 
stood  with  her  back  to  the  window.  Her  face  was 
calm,  unmoved,  with  all  the  sweet  confidence  of 
innocence,  which  a  consciousness  of  right  gives. 
With  Mark  it  was  different.  When  he  returned, 
she  noticed  his  cheeks  were  wet  with  tears.  A 
look  of  pain  swept  over  her  fair  face. 

"  Mark,  don't  give  way  like  that.  Remember 
you  are  a  man,  and  should  be  strong.  If  I  can 
bear  it,  you  should." 

"Elsie,  Elsie!"  he  groaned,  "may  God  have 
mercy  on  the  man  who  prompted  you  to  this  step. " 

"  Blame  no  one;  I  came  of  my  own  free  will," 
she  answered. 

"  Did  you  not  come  at  the  request  of  General 
Van  Horn?" 

"No,"  she  quickly  answered.  "General  Van 
Dorn  seriously  objected  to  my  coming  at  first,  but, 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  287 

when  lie  found  me  determined  to  serve  my  country 
in  the  only  manner  I  could,  he  assented." 

"  Why  did  you  leave  the  East?" 

"  My  father's  regiment  was  sent  to  Atlanta,  and 
I  came  with  him.  When  I  reached  this  country, 
I  could  not  remain  inactive  when  the  South  needed 
my  services.  I  could  not  fight  in  the  ranks  like  a 
man ;  but  I  could  do  good  service  as  a  spy,  and, 
dangerous  as  the  undertaking  was,  I  resolved  to 
make  the  risk.  I  failed,  and — "  her  voice  fal- 
tered a  little — "  I  am  willing  to  suffer." 

"  Do  you  know  the  fate  of  a  spy,  Elsie?" 

"  It  is  death.  Not  even  the  death  of  a  soldier, 
but  a  criminal ;  but  so  many  have  suffered  this 
ignominious  death,  they  have  made  it  honorable." 

"  Elsie,  you  shall  not!"  Mark  said  with  spirit. 

"  What  do  you  mean?" 

"  You  sliall  not  die. " 

"  Mark,  remember  that  you  are  a  soldier  fighting 
for  your  country." 

"  I  will  remember  nothing  of  the  sort.  Wliat 
is  country,  what  is  principle,  what  is  honor,  or 
even  the  soul's  salvation,  compared  to  your  life? 
Elsie,  you  know  I  would  give  them  all  for  you. " 

"  Mark,  do  you  mean ?"  she  began. 

"  Hush — your  fate  is  in  my  hands,  and  I  can 
and  will  save  you." 

"  You  forget,  I  am  a  spy. " 


288  UNION. 

"  I  remember  only  that  your  life  is  in  danger, 
and  tliat  you  shall  be  saved. " 

"  Would  you  betray  your  country?" 

"  To  save  you  I  would.  If  they  wish  to  hang 
me  for  a  traitor  they  can  do  so.  I  have  never 
shirked  duty.  I  have  slept  on  the  frozen  ground, 
faced  storms  of  iron  and  leaden  hail  for  my  coun- 
try;  I  would  do  more  for  her, — I  would  give  my 
limbs  one  by  one,  my  life  inch  by  inch ;  but  I  can- 
not, I  will  not  give  you.      You  shall  be  saved." 

It  was  her  turn  to  become  weak  now,  and  she 
trembled,  while  great  tears  stole  down  her  cheeks. 

"  Mark,  Mark  !  I  am  not  worth  this !"  she  said. 
"Don't  place  yourself  in  danger  for  me." 

"  I  will!  Listen,  Elsie,"  he  went  on  hurriedly. 
"  I  enlisted  because  I  loved  the  Union.  I  did  not 
enter  the  army  as  an  officer,  though  I  might  have 
organized  a  company,  but  enlisted  as  a  private 
soldier.  There  I  soon  learned  the  weight  of  the 
iron  heel  of  military  despotism,  which  makes  the 
rank  and  tile  underlings  and  machines.  I  longed 
to  get  above  a  private,  and  by  risking  my  life  a 
dozen  times  to  almost  certain  death,  I  did  so.  No 
man  was  ever  prouder  of  his  honors  than  I ;  but 
I  will  lose  them  all — will  suffer  court-martial  and 
an  ignominious  death — rather  than  you  shall  suffer 
the  fate  of  a  spy." 

"  No,  no, "  she  sobbed  ;   "  please  don't,  Mark.     I 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  289 

might  accept  such  a  sacrifice  from  any  other,  but 
from  you,  I  cannot!" 

"  You  must,  Elsie.  Hush,  don"t  interpose  any 
objection  to  my  plan,  or  I  shall  go  mad.  Listen! 
My  men  are  coming.  I  can  trust  them.  There 
is  not  one  of  the  four  who  would  not  lay  down  his 
life  for  me.  They  will  aid  me,  and  you  shall 
escape. " 

Quite  overcome,  she  fell  down  upon  the  sofa 
and  wept.  Elsie  would  not  have  shed  a  tear  to 
have  saved  herself  from  death  at  the  stake,  but  the 
thought  of  bringing  all  this  woe  on  one  so  devoted 
to  her,  was  overwhelming. 

The  four  guards  came,  and  though  they  kept  a 
strict  surveillance  over  her,  she  could  not  have 
been  treated  with  greater  respect  had  they  been 
her  own  brothers.  Only  one  was  on  guard,  just 
outside  the  door,  at  a  time.  The  others  had  a 
room  set  apart  for  them  in  the  hotel. 

"I  am  going  away.  Sis,"  said  Mark  to  the 
smooth-faced  boy-soldier.  "  I  leave  you  in  charge 
of  the  prisoner,  see  that  she  is  not  disturbed." 

"I'll  do  et,  leftenaut, "  Sis  answered,  "cos  I 
know  she's  a  leddy.  I  told  Bill  Simms  thet  she 
wuz  a  leddy  from  'way  back." 

Had  Mark  been  severe,  had  he  even  confessed 
his  love  for  her,  she  would  have  remained  defiant 
and  would  have  died  scorning  his  proffered  aid. 
19 


290  UNION. 

But  when  his  actions  revealed  his  solicitude,  when 
she  witnessed  his  agony  of  spirit,  when  she  real- 
ized his  determination  to  give  position,  honor, 
country,  and  life  itself,  her  proud  spirit  broke 
down.  Hatred,  patriotism,  mistaken  principle, 
all  gave  way  before  a  storm  of  overpowering  emo- 
tion, which  she  was  unable  to  explain,  and  with 
her  face  buried  in  her  hands,  she  wept  bitterly. 

Meanwhile,  Mark  Stevens  was  hurrying  to  the 
headquarters  of  his  colonel.  Having  saved  his 
life  on  two  occasions,  Mark  had  special  claims  on 
his  friendship.  The  young  officer  did  a  very 
manly,  yet  a  very  dangerous  thing.  He  told  the 
colonel  all,  and  that  officer  listened  in  open-mouthed 
amazement.  Two  hours  were  spent  pleading,  with 
tears  on  bearded  cheeks,  for  a  life, — the  life  of  the 
being  he  loved.  The  colonel's  duty  made  him 
stubborn.  His  honor,  his  official  pride,  his  patri- 
otism, his  ^  country's  interest,  were  all  arrayed 
against  this  girl.  She  was  a  spy,  a  most  dan- 
gerous spy,  and  must  be  treated  as  such.  AVhat 
mattered  it  if  she  did  come  of  the  best  family  in 
the  South,  and  if  Mark  was  in  love  with  her?  She 
was  still  a  spy. 

At  last,  Mark,  growing  desperate  in  his  appeal, 
sublime  in  his  oratory,  and  supreme  in  his  agon3^ 
declared : 

"  Colonel,  forgive  me, — I  admire  your  ideas  of 


THE  PRETTY  SPY. 


291 


duty,  but  I  love  that  woman,  and  I  will  live  or 
die  with  her!"  The  colonel  was  stunned  by  the 
declaration,  and  Mark  continued:  "My  life  has 
been  offered    on  more    than   one    battle-field.     I 


"My  commission,  my  honor,  my  life  you  can  take,  but 
you  shall  not  have  her !" 

never  shrank  from  duty  before,  but  so  help  me 
high  heaven,  I  will  save  that  girl  or  die  with  her. 
My  commission,  my  honor,  my  life  you  can  take, 
but  you  shall  not  have  her ! " 


392  UNION. 

The  colonel  bowed  his  head  in  his  hands  for 
moment,  and  when  he  looked  up  his  cheeks  were 
wet.      After  several  efforts  he  finally  said: 

"  Lieutenant,  hang  me  if  I  wouldn't  do  the  same 
thing,  and  so  would  any  other  man,  who  had  a  spark 
of  manhood  in  his  soul.  Go  now — I  cant  help  you 
— God  may,  and  I  believe  he  will,  but  I  cannot." 

Mark  left  the  headquarters  of  the  colonel,  feel- 
ing that  he  had,  at  least,  one  sympathetic  friend. 
That  evening,  while  Sis  was  on  duty  in  the  hall, 
two  horses,  ready  saddled  and  bridled,  might  have 
been  seen  tied  in  an  alley,  at  the  rear  of  the  hotel. 
Over  each  saddle  a  blanket  was  thrown,  so  that 
the  passer-by  might  not  notice  that  one  was  a 
lad3^'s  saddle.  Sis  had  had  his  suspicions  roused, 
and  when  Mark  came  to  send  him  on  an  errand, 
he  hesitated. 

"  Leftenant,  I  am  afraid  you  are  going  to  do 
wrong,"  he  said. 

"  It  is  for  me  to  command,  and  you  to  obey. " 

Sis  did  not  think  he  was  in  duty  bound  to  obey 
a  superior  whom  he  doubted  as  true  to  the  cause 
for  whicli  he  was  fighting,  and  he  asked : 

"  What  air  them  bosses  doin'  in  the  alley?" 

"  Ask  no  questions." 

'■  Leftenant,  I  promised  I  would  treat  the  pris- 
oner ez  a  leddy,  an'  I'll  do  it;  but  I  swear  she 
shan't  escape." 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  293 

"  Sis.  I  am  yoin-  superior  officer,  and  you  must 
obey ;  and  if  any  wrong  is  done  you  will  not  be 
responsible  for  it. " 

Sis  liesitated.  He  realized  that  the  army  would 
be  ruined  by  the  escape  of  the  sp}',  and  his  quick 
perceptions  had  penetrated  Mark's  secret.  For  a 
moment  Mark  Stevens  was  perplexed.  Then  he 
wrote  a  message  to  the  colonel  which  he  folded 
and  gave  to  Sis,  ordering  him  to  deliver  it  at  once. 

Sis  was  too  good  a  soldier  to  disobey.  Placing 
his  gun  against  the  wall,  he  hurried  off,  and  when 
he  was  gone,  Mark  took  from  under  his  coat  a 
long,  dark  cloak  and  veil,  and  entering  the  room 
of  the  prisoner  gave  them  to  her,  with  instructions 
to  don  them  at  once.  When  she  had  done  so, 
he  told  her  to  walk  boldly  down  the  stairs  and  oat 
into  the  street.  At  a  certain  corner,  she  was  to 
wait  until  he  came  with  the  horses,  for  Sis'  stub- 
bornness and  suspicions  had,  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, disarranged  his  plans.  She  returned  not  a 
word,  but  obeyed  his  instructions.  When  she 
was  gone,  Mark  locked  her  door,  and  called  to  Bill 
Simms,  who  was  in  the  room  where  the  guard  was 
quartered,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  hall,  and  bade 
him  guard  the  prisoner's  door  for  two  hours,  and 
to  allow  no  one  enter  her  room  under  any  circum- 
stances. Then  Mark  went  leisurely  downstairs, 
to  the  alley  where  the  horses  were.      He  mounted 


294  UNIOX. 

one  and,  leading  the  other,  rode  quickly  to  the  dark 
corner  where  she  was  to  meet  him.  He  suffered 
much  apprehension  until  he  came  in  sight  of  the 
spot,  and  found  her  waiting. 

"  We  have  not  a  moment  to  lose,  "  he  whispered, 
as  he  sprang  from  the  saddle,  and  lifted  her  to  her 
seat. 

Not  a  word  was  spoken  as  they  galloped  out  of 
town.  Mark  had  the  password,  and  they  passed 
the  guards  without  any  trouble.  He  suffered  the 
greatest  anxiety  and  dread  until  the  last  picket 
post  was  passed.  They  might  not  even  yet  be 
safe,  for,  at  any  time,  a  pursuing  party  might  be 
sent  to  bring  them  back.  Often  they  paused,  list- 
ening for  some  sounds  of  pursuit,  and  then  pressed 
on. 

"  Elsie,  have  you  any  friend  near?" 

"  Mr.  Myers  lives  only  twelve  miles  away.  His 
wife  is  my  father's  cousin;  but  Mr.  Mj'ers  is  in 
the  Confederate  army." 

"  Can  you  trust  his  wife?" 

"Yes." 

"  We  must  go  there. "  They  rode  on  for  a  few 
moments,  and  Mark  added :  "  I  have  a  request  to 
make  of  you.  It  may  do  neither  of  us  any  good, 
yet  it  would  relieve  my  conscience  if  you  granted 
it." 

"What  is  it?" 


THE  PRETTY  SPY.  295 

"  Promise  me  not  to  use  any  information,  you 
may  have  gained  this  time,  against  the  Union 
army. " 

■'  If  I  should  promise,  3'our  officers  would  not 
believe  me. " 

"  Promise  me,  and  I  will  believe  3"ou." 

"  Then,  to  you,  I  promise." 

"  I  ask  no  better  assurance,  for  I  know  you  nvIII 
keep  your  word." 

They  reached  the  home  of  Mrs.  Myers,  and, 
leaving  Elsie  safe  with  friends,  Mark  bade  her 
adieu  and,  wheeling  his  horse  about,  started  back 
to  meet  his  fate. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  ALABAMA  AND  KEARSARGE. 

In  Chapter  VII.  of  this  story,  we  told  how 
Dick  Stevens  with  Charley  Cole,  Elsie's  brother, 
shipped  on  board  the  Confederate  cruiser,  the 
Alabama;  and  it  will  be  necessary  at  this  point  to 
return  to  them,  as  their  exploits  form  a  part  of  the 
warp  and  woof  of  the  romance.  Dick  Stevens  was 
heartily  disgusted  with  the  crew  of  l\\e  Alabama  \ 
but  he  was  in  for  it,  and  must  either  serve  his 
time  oat,  or  desert.  The  crew  broke  all  bounds, 
and  nearly  all  the  petty  officers  were  disrated, 
much  to  their  satisfaction,  as- they  had  no  respect 
from  the  crew  and  were  responsible  for  them  to 
their  superior  officers.  Dick  was  offered  the  posi- 
tion of  quartermaster,  but  declined. 

Off  the  coast  of  San  Domingo,  the  crew  of  the 
Alabama  had  a  little  fright  over  lire ;  but  the  flames 
were  easily  extinguished,  and  no  damage  done. 
They  had  been  taking  prizes  very  rapidly  and 
burning  them;  but  on  July  2d,  they  fell  in  with  a 
sailing  vessel  which  fairly  outstripped  them.  It 
296 


THE  ALABAMA    AND   REARS ARGE.  297 

was  near  sunset  when  the  look-out  at  the  mast- 
head descried  her,  and  the  Alabama  as  usual  hoisted 
the  English  ensign;  but  the  Yankee  captain  was 
wide  awake,  and  piling  on  all  canvas,  he  kept  the 
weather-gage.  It  was  quite  apparent  that  he  was 
using  every  device  known  to  a  good  sailor  to  beat 
them.  Dick  asked  their  boatswain,  an  old  clipper 
sailor,  if  they  were  gaining. 

"  Not  an  inch,  and  we  are  doin'  our  best,"  the 
old  man  answered.  The  wind  freshened,  and  they 
tried  a  long  shot  with  their  rifle  gun,  but  it  was 
no  use.  The  escaping  ship  was  a  cloud  of  canvas, 
and  beautifull}^  handled,  and  in  his  heart  Dick  could 
not  but  wish  her  success. 

It  soon  grew  dark,  and  they  espied  a  light  on  the 
water  which  made  the  pirates  cheer,  as  they  were 
quite  sure  they  were  overhauling  the  prize.  They 
headed  the  vessel  for  the  light,  and  when  within 
two  or  three  hundred  yards  of  it,  the  look-out  cried : 

"  That's  a  floating  light." 

The  Yankee  had  deceived  them  by  an  old  ruse. 
The  light  proved  to  be  only  a  lantern  tied  to  a 
spar  fastened  in  the  centre  of  a  raft. 

The  Yankee  escaped,  and  when  Dick  and  Char- 
ley were  alone,  the  former  said : 

"  I  am  almost  glad  of  it.  Charley." 

"So  am  I." 

"  I  feel  that  this  life  is  decidedly  demoralizing. " 


398  UiXION. 

"  It  is.      It  is  piracy,  not  honest  warfare." 

"  If  Captain  Semmes  would  give  his  crew  an 
occasional  opportunit}'  to  fight,  it  might  reconcile 
them  to  this  sort  of  thing,  and  the}*  would  not 
be  compelled  to  resort  to  outlawry  for  amusement. " 

Dick  and  Charley,  who  were  often  together  on 
the  watch,  made  each  other  confidants  in  many 
personal  and  family  secrets.  On  one  dark  night, 
as  they  were  howling  along  through  the  troubled 
waters,  Charley  Cole  narrated  a  part  of  his  family 
history,  that  was  sad,  mysterious  and  romantic. 
It  was,  as  yet,  an  unfinished  story,  and  little  did 
they  dream  that  they  were  to  be  living  witnesses  to 
the  sequel.  The  strange,  dark,  sad  story  made  an 
impression  on  Dick  Stevens  that  he  never  forgot. 

They  sailed  for  tlie  eastern  seas  and  made  many 
captures  on  the  way.  They  had  a  long  chase  after 
a  fine  clipper  ship  called  the  Contest.  She  was  a 
swift  sailor,  and  but  for  tlie  Blakely  rifle  might 
have  escaped.  Her  mate  was  an  Englishman  and 
resisted  to  the  last.  He  knocked  one  of  the  officers 
down,  and  offered  to  fight  any  pirate  aboard  the 
ship.  Dick  took  part  in  the  stand-up  fight  with  a 
gang  of  large  babogns  on  a  small  island  near  the 
Straits  of  Sunda.  He  had  his  jacket  ripped  off  at 
one  clutch,  and  came  very  nearly  being  torn  to 
pieces.  The  baboons  threw  stones  and  clubs  like 
men. 


THE  ALABAMA   AM)   KEARSARGE.  2\)0 

Shortly  after  leaving  Singapore,  Dick  was  ap- 
prised of  an  effort  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  rough 
members  of  the  crew  to  take  the  ship.  "  Shak- 
ings," a  cron}^  of  Gill,  told  Dick  that  if  he  would 
stand  in  with  them,  thej  would  make  a  rush  aft 
on  the  next  night,  and  could  easily  capture  the 
ship ;  that  the  American  consul  would  guarantee 
them  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  see  that 
no  harm  would  come  to  them. 

"  Who  are  with  you?"  Dick  asked. 

"  Four  of  the  petty  oflficers  and  about  twenty 
men,"  Shakings  answered.  Dick  did  not  like  this 
man,  for  he  had  a  bad  countenance.  He  did  not 
dare  openly  refuse,  for  he  remembered  the  fate  of 
Kingpost,  so  he  said: 

"  I  will  think  about  it. " 

Next  clay  Dick  was  accosted  by  Gill,  who  was 
strongly  in  favor  of  the  mutiny.  He  assured  him 
they  would  not  be  opposed  by  the  petty  officers, 
and  one  determined  rush  would  do  it  I  Dick  list- 
ened attentively  to  his  plan,  and  then  interposed  a 
carefully  worded  objection. 

"  I  am  afraid  the  officers  are  on  the  alert, "  he 
said.  "  And  besides  as  we  are  going  to  England 
soon,  it  would  scarce  pay.  And  again,  Gill,  I 
have  not  much  faith  in  the  American  consuls; 
they  would  repudiate  the  whole  affair,  and  l)ring 
us  within  the  grip  of   the  English  law,  where  we 


300  UNION. 

would  be  hung  as  pirate?.  If  we  could  run  her 
into  a  Yankee  port  it  would  be  different. " 

Gill  gazed  hard  at  the  young  sailor,  and  Dick, 
understanding  the  man's  dangerous  character,  as- 
sured him  that  he  was  one  to  keep  his  counsel 
under  all  circumstances. 

The  sailors  were  given  to  understand  that  their 
course  was  now  for  England,  wliich  news  had  a 
very  wholesome  effect  on  tlie  men.  The  Stars  and 
Stripes  were  seldom  seen  floating  from  the  mast- 
heads of  any  of  the  merchantmen,  for  the  Alabama 
had  almost  swept  the  commerce  of  the  United 
States  from  the  seas,  and  after  leaving  the  African 
coast  they  had  dull  times  aboard  the  cruiser.  They 
were  off  Lizard  Point,  June  8th,  with  England 
dimly  visible  from  the  port  bow.  Taking  a  pilot 
aboard  they  sailed  for  Cherbourg  on  June,  the 
13th.  It  was  quite  evident  that  the  Alabama 
needed  repairs.  She  forged  through  the  waters  in 
a  way  that  told  that  her  copper  was  stripping,  and 
in  sailors'  parlance  she  had  become  a  veritable 
"  tub."  Her  engines  being  out  of  order  produced 
a  constant  thumping  and  fizzing  in  the  engine 
room.  Charley  Cole,  who  was  a  pretty  fair  sea- 
man, told  his  cousin  that  her  cruising  would  soon 
come  to  an  end.  It  was  thought  that,  if  she  went 
into  an  English  port,  that  government  would  not 
permit  her  to  come  out  again. 


THE  ALABAMA  AND  KEARSARGE.  301 

Dick  was  never  so  glad  to  get  asliore  in  his  life, 
as  when  tliey  reached  Cherbourg.  He  had  not 
been  long  on  land,  when  he  met  Charley  Cole, 
who  said: 

"  Dick,  I  heard  the  Kearsarge  is  coming  into 
port. " 

"  Who  is  the  Kearsarge  ?  "  Dick  carelessly  asked. 

"  A  Yankee  man-of-war,  by  Jove!  and  you  may 
get  acquainted  with  her  before  we  get  out  of  port. " 

"Is  that  so?" 

"  Yes,  and  old  Captain  Winslow  is  said  to  be  a 
fighter. " 

"  Very  well,  we  will  have  a  chance  at  last  to  try 
our  guns. " 

"  I  should  not  be  surprised,  for  I  heard  that 
Captain  Semmes  has  expressed  his  intention  to 
fight  the  Kearsarge. " 

The  rumor  was  correct;  for  that  same  day.  Cap- 
tain R.  Semmes  had  sent  to  Mr.  Bonfils,  the  Con- 
federate commercial  agent,  a  message  to  be  for- 
warded to  the  United  States  Consul,  Mr.  Liais,  at 
Cherbourg.      It  read  as  follows : 

"C.  S.  S.  'Alabama,^  Cherbourg,  June  14,  1864.* 
"  To  A.  Bonfils,  Esq. ,  Cherbourg. 

"Sir: — I  hear  that  you  were  informed  by  the  United 
States  Consul  that  the  Kearsarge  was  come  to  this  port 
solely  for  the  prisoners  landed  by  me,  and  that  she  was  to 
depart  in  twenty-four  hours.     I  desire  to  say  to  the  United 

*  Century  Magazine. 


303  UNION. 

States  Consul  that  it  is  my  intention  to  fight  the  Kcar- 
sarge,  as  soon  as  I  can  make  the  necessary  arrangements. 
I  hope  these  will  not  detain  me  longer  than  until  to-mor- 
row evening,  or  the  morning  after  at  the  furthest.  I  beg 
that  she  will  not  depart  before  I  am  ready  to  go  out. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant,  R.  Semmes,  Captain."' 

On  sending  this  communication,  Captain  Semmes 
requested  that  a  copy  would  be  furnished  Captain 
Winslow  for  his  guidance.  Thus  the  giants  of 
the  ocean  began  to  prepare  for  battle. 

When  Dick  and  Charley  v/ent  on  board  at  an 
early  hour,  June  15th,  it  was  told  through  the 
ship  that  the  Kearsargewas  coming  through  the  east 
end  of  the  harbor.  From  the  berthdeck  ports  they 
had  a  good  look  at  her. 

"What  do  you  think  of  her,  Charley?"  Dick 
asked. 

"She  seems  to  rest  rather  low  in  the  water; 
but  there  is  no  doubt  that  she  is  in  fighting  trim." 

At  the  rate  of  nine  knots  she  steamed  past  them, 
and  out  at  the  west  opening.  Through  the  ward- 
room servants,  the  report  of  Captain  Semmes'  chal- 
lenge reached  the  ears  of  the  crew,  and  most  of 
them  were  eager  for  the  conflict. 

"  I  believe  we  shall  have  a  fight,  Charley, "  said 
Dick. 

"Yes." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  chances?" 


IGQ  LoDgitude  150     West  IQO  200      400 


Matamoraa 


Lougritude 


THE  ALABAMA   AND  KEARSARGE.  303 

"  The  crew  who  work  the  guns  have  no  confi- 
dence in  any  but  the  Blakely  rifle." 

Everything  was  in  order  by  Sunday,  June  19tli, 
and  early  on  that  bright  morning,  the  Alabama 
steamed  out  oi  Cherbourg  for  her  hist  cruise,  whicli 
was  destined  to  be  a  short  one,  A  beautiful  Eng- 
lish yacht  called  the  Deerhound  was  discovered  fol- 
lowing in  their  waive.  Dick  did  not  dream  who 
was  aboard  that  yacht,  until  he  heard  the  name 
Lancaster  mentioned.  Then  he  turned  to  Charles 
Cole  and  asked : 

"Lancaster?  Charley,  did  you  hear  the  name? 
Was  it  Lancaster?" 

"  Yes. " 

"  Perhaps  Lorena  Lancaster  is  aboard. " 

"  Pshaw !  wh}'  do  you  think  so?" 

"  She  lived  with  her  uncle,  John  Lancaster,  who 
was  very  fond  of  yachting. " 

"  Well,  if  she  did,  does  that  signify  that  she  is 
aboard  that  yacht?" 

•'  It  would  be  a  little  romantic,  Charley,  if  she 
should  be  aboard  that  yacht.  She  sent  me  to  the 
war.  For  her,  I  signed  as  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
Alabama^  and  now  she  has  come  to  see  me  win  my 
victory. " 

Dick  was  in  the  highest  spirits  this  morning. 
Charley  had  never  seen  him  so  confident,  and 
having  more  knowledge  of  naval  warfare  than  he, 


304  UNION. 

could  scarce  repress  a  sigh,  for  be  knew  that 
chances  were  against  them.  Walking  slowh^  for- 
ward to  the  Blakely  rifle,  Charley  said: 

"  You  must  do  the  work  to-day,  if  it  is  done." 

A  full  head  of  steam  was  on,  and  the  Alabama 
was  soon  gliding  boldly  out  of  the  harbor  escorted 
by  a  French  armored  vessel.  The  crew  were  all 
at  quarters,  and  every  man  ready  and  eager  for 
the  fight.  Dick  turned  his  eyes  toward  the  harbor 
as  they  glided  out,  and  clutching  Charley's  arm, 
said : 

"  She  is  following.  She  is  going  to  witness  the 
fight. " 

Charley  turned  his  eyes  in  the  direction  indicated 
by  Dick's  finger,  and  saw  the  Deerhound  following 
in  their  wake.  When  they  got  outside  the  har- 
bor, Dick  heard  some  one  say : 

"  There  she  is ! "  and  going  forward  saw  the  low 
dark  hull  and  rigging  of  the  Kearsarge,  with  the 
black  smoke  issuing  from  her  great  dark  chimney. 

Yes,  there  lay  the  enemy  not  over  four  or  five 
miles  away,  waiting  for  them,  and  a  sight  of  her 
sent  a  thrill  to  Dick's  heart.  He  was  not  afraid 
to  fight,  in  fact  was  rather  eager  for  the  conflict, 
yet  he  would  have  been  more  highly  pleased  had 
she  run  away  or  surrendered  without  exchanging 
a  shot. 

The  report  of  their  going  out  to  fight  the  Kear- 


THE  ALABAMA   AND  REARS ARGE.  305 

sarge  had  been  widely  circulated,  and  many  persons 
from  Paris  and  the  surrounding  country  had  come 
down  to  witness  the  engagement.  They,  with  a 
large  number  of  inhabitants  of  Cherbourg,  assem- 
bled on  every  point  of  the  shore  that  would  afford 
a  view  seaward.  On  discovering  the  Kearsarge, 
the  Alabama  immediately  headed  for  her  with  all 
hands  at  the  quarters,  and  the  starboard  battery 
cast  loose.  The  men  were  neatly  dressed  and  the 
officers  in  full  uniform.  Upon  reporting  to  Cap- 
tain Semmes  that  the  ship  was  ready  for  action,  he 
directed  Captain  Kell  to  send  all  hands  aft,  and 
mounting  a  gun-carriage,  he  made  the  following 
address : 
"  Officers  and  Seamen  of  the  Alabama  : 

"  You  have  at  length  another  opportunity  of 
meeting  the  enemy — the  first  that  has  been  pre- 
sented to  you  since  you  sunk  the  Hatteras !  In 
the  mean  time  you  have  been  all  over  the  world, 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  you  have  de- 
stroyed, and  driven  for  protection  under  neutral 
flags,  one-half  of  the  enemy's  commerce,  which  at 
the  beginning  of  the  war  covered  every  sea.  This 
is  an  achievement  of  which  you  may  well  feel 
proud,  and  a  grateful  country  will  not  be  unmind- 
ful of  it.  The  name  of  your  ship  has  become 
a  household  word,  wherever  civilization  extends! 
Shall  that  name  be  tarnished  by  defeat?  The 
20 


306  UMON. 

thing  is  impossible!  Remember  that  you  are  in 
the  English  Channel,  that  theatre  of  so  much  of. 
the  naval  glory  of  our  race,  and  that  the  eyes  of 
all  Europe  are  at  this  moment  upon  you.  The 
flag  that  floats  over  you  is  that  of  a  young  lie- 
public,  which  bids  defiance  to  her  enemies,  when- 
ever and  wherever  found !  Show  the  world  that 
you  know  how  to  uphold  it !     Go  to  your  quarters ! " 

The  crew  with  a  cheer  hastened  to  their  quarters, 
and  the  friendly  French  vessel,  having  done  all  she 
dared,  left  the  Alabama,  which  steered  straight  for 
the  Kearsarge,  tliat,  like  a  marine  monster,  awaited 
the  assault.  As  the  Alabama  was  steaming  toward 
her  enemy.  Captain  Semmes  passed  the  quarters 
where  Dick  and  Charley  stood.  Chai-ley  whis- 
pered to  his  cousin : 

"  Something  is  the  matter  with  Captain  Semmes; 
he  seems  flurried." 

"  What  are  they  going  to  do,  Charley?" 

"  Going  to  fire  the  Blakely." 

"  It  is  folly  at  this  distance." 

"  The  captain  is  unstrung.  " 

"  See,  there  comes  the  Kearsarge.  By  Jove !  she 
has  got  her  bristles  up,  and  coming  right  at  us. " 

"Boom!"  The  sea  seemed  to  tremble  beneath 
the  heavy  report  of  the  Blakely  100-pounder. 

"The  shot  did  not  strike  her,  Charley,"  said 
Dick. 


THE  ALABAMA   AND  KEARSARGE.  307 

"  Why  did  they  waste  the  shot  at  that  distance?" 

"What  is  she  doing?" 

"  Going  to  circle  around  us,  so  she  can  get  us  at 
a  point  that  she  may  rake  us  fore  and  aft." 

All  the  while,  the  gunners  at  the  Blakely  were 
bus}'  ramming  home  another  charge, 

"  They  are  sighting  her  again,  Dick. " 

"It's  all  nonsense,  and  I  wonder  Captains  Sem- 
mes  and  Kell  don't  see  it." 

"  She  is  still  circling  about  us  and  getting 
nearer. " 

"  We'll  feel  her  iron  soon." 

The  two  ships  were  caught  in  the  current  which 
set  westward  at  the  rate  of  about  three  knots  per 
hour.  Like  two  pugilists,  they  did  an  immense 
amount  of  sparring  and  circling  about  each  other, 
all  the  while,  in  order  to  get  in  a  position  for  a 
telling  blow. 

Dick  saw  old  Gill,  like  a  grim  monster,  at  the 
eight-inch  gun  waiting  for  the  time  to  come  when 
he  should  make  the  attack.  Shakings  was  near 
the  port  bulwarks,  handling  shot,  swearing  all  the 
while  and  wishing  that  they  could  carry  the  enemy 
by  the  board. 

As  yet  the  enemy  had  not  fired  a  shot.  Sud- 
denly Charley,  who  had  been  watching  her,  cried: 

"  She  is  in  position;   now  look  out!" 

The  Kearsarge  was  within  seven  or  eight  hundred 


308  UNIOX. 

yards,  wLen,  suddenly  gracefully  rounding  about, 
her  entire  broadside  became  a  sheet  of  flame,  and 
the  Alabama  seemed  to  reel  and  shake  all  over 
from  the  force  of  the  shot. 

Dick  and  Charley  were  serving  on  one  of  the 
thirty-twos,  and  they  fired  with  the  others,  but 
could  observe  no  visible  effect  from  the  discharge 
of  their  guns.  Their  sponger,  an  old  man-of-war's 
man,  remarked: 

"  We  might  as  well  fire  batter  puddens  as  these 
pop-guns ;  a  few  more  biffs  like  that  last,  and  we 
may  turn  turtle. " 

His  speech  was  cut  short  by  a  tremendous  crash. 
A  shell  had  burst  under  the  pivot  gun,  tilting  it 
out  of  range  and  killing  five  of  the  crew. 

"What  is  wrong  with  the  rifle  gun?"  Charley 
asked.  "  We  don't  seem  to  be  doing  the  enemy 
any  harm." 

Boom!- — ^boom,  boom!  with  slow  precision  came 
the  crash  of  heavy  shells  from  the  Yankee.  One 
missile,  which  to  Dick  seemed  as  large  as  a  hay- 
stack, whizzed  over  their  heads,  tearing  away  a 
section  of  the  port  bulwarks,  and  missing  Shakings, 
who  was  handling  shot,  b}^  not  more  than  two  feet. 
That  individual,  glancing  at  the  wreck  made  by 
the  shot,  coolly  remarked : 

"  I  believe  the  cussed  Yankees  are  firin'  steam- 
bilers  at  us." 


THE  ALABAMA  AND  KEARSARGE.  309 

Shot  and  shell  were  striking  them  thick  and  fast, 
and,  to  their  amazement,  even  their  Blakely  rifle,  on 
which  they  had  put  so  much  reliance,  seemed  to 
make  little  or  no  impression  on  the  enemy.      On 
finding   that  their   shells    failed  to   penetrate    the 
enemy's  sides,  their  captain  ordered  them  to  lire 
solid  shot.      These  seemed  to  have  us  little  effect  as 
the  shells,  and  from  that  to  the  end  of  the  conflict, 
the  Blakely  alternated  between  solid  shot  and  shell. 
Captain  Kell  claimed  that  the  Kearsarge  was  pro- 
tected by  chain  armor,  and  that  the  powder  of  the 
Alabama  was  so  defective  that  they  failed  to  hurl 
projectiles  with   the    force   of  the  enemy's  shot. 
Charley  in  an  undertone  to  Dick  said: 
"  We  are  going  to  get  it  this  time. " 
"  No,  let  us  hope  not.     We  may  whip  her  yet." 
"  We  are  not  doing  it,  fate  is  against  us ;  our 
shot  has   no  visible  effect,  while  they  are   raking 
us  fore  and  aft. " 

At  this  moment,  a  shell  struck  them  amidships, 
exploding,  and  causing  the  ship  to  list  to  port,  so 
that  the  gun  of  our  friends  raced  in,  pinning  one 
poor  fellow  against  the  port-sill.  They  made 
frantic  efforts  to  get  him  clear;  but  he  was  dead 
when  rescued.  The  shell  which  caused  the  disas- 
ter was  evidently  the  terrible  eleven-inch  shell 
that  sank  the  Alabama,  for  a  few  seconds  after  it 
exploded,  Dick  heard  the  cry : 


310  UNION. 

"  She's  going  down  !" 

All  was  confusion  and  some  of  the  men  deserted 
the  guns,  though   the  officers  ordered   them  back. 

A  moment  later  another  shell  struck  about  the 
water-line,  and  the  vessel  reeled  like  a  drunken 
man.  The  dead  and  wounded  now  strewed  the 
bloody  deck. 

"  We  are  whipped,  Dick.  The  ship  is  going 
down." 

Grinding  his  teeth  in  rage,  Dick  answered: 

"  Let  us  send  them  down  with  us. " 

The  officers  did  their  duty  and  made  every  effort 
to  get  up  the  wounded  men.  The  cutter  and 
launch  were  in  the  water,  and  Dick  heard  Captain 
Semmes  tell  Officer  Kell  to  go  below  and  see  how 
badly  the  vessel  was  injured. 

All  the  while,  the  Alabama's  crew  was  firing  as 
rapidly  as  they  could,  receiving  crash  after  crash 
from  the  enemy  in  return.  In  a  few  seconds  Officer 
Kell  came  back,  saluted  Captain  Semmes,  and 
said: 

"Captain,  she  cannot  keep' afloat  ten  minutes.'' 

Captain  Semmes  replied : 

"  Then,  sir,  cease  firing,  shorten  sail,  and  haul 
down  the  colors;  it  will  never  do  in  this  nineteenth 
century  for  us  to  go  down,  and  our  decks  covered 
with  our  gallant  wounded.  " 

"  I  felt  it  from  the  first!"  sighed  Charley  as  the 


THE  ALABAMA   AND  KEARSARGE.  311 

colors  were  hauled  down,  and  orders  given  to  cease 
tiring.  "  I  suppose  now  we  will  have  to  go  to  some 
infernal  Yankee  prison  and  rot.  I  would  rather 
go  to  the  bottom." 

Though  thej  had  ceased  firing  and  hauled  down 
their  colors,  the  enemy's  guns  still  roared,  and  their 
shot  still  came  tearing  through  the  sinking  ship.* 

"  Why,  in  thunder,  are  they  firing  at  us  3'et?" 
cried  Charley  Cole.  "  Do  they  intend  never  to 
sto])  until  they  have  murdered  us  outright?" 

"  Stand  hy  your  quarters  and  don't  flinch  from 
their  shot,"  cried  Captain  Kell.  "Quartermaster, 
show  the  white  flag  over  the  stern." 

A  few  moments  later  the  lire  of  the  enemy 
ceased.  A  boat  was  dispatched  to  the  ^m/-.9a/-^e  to 
notify  Captain  Winslow  of  the  surrender  of  the 
Alabama^  to  report  the  ship  sinking,  and  to  ask 
aid  in  rescuing  the  wounded.  They  began  at  once 
to  get  up  the  wounded.  Every  effort  was  made  to 
keep  the  men  back  from  the  cutter  and  launch 
until  the  wounded  were  put  in  ;  but  Dick  was  quite 
sure  that  many  of  the  disabled  were  left  behind, 
for  he  saw  several  on  the  berthdeck  after  they 
had  pushed  off. 

*  Captain  Winslow  of  the  Kearsarge  gives  his  reason  for 
firing  on  the  Alabama  after  she  had  struck,  that  he  sup- 
posed her  colors  shot  away,  or  that  it  was  a  trick  of  Captain 
Semmes  to  get  back  into  neutral  waters,  and  thus  escape. 


312  bWION. 

When  it  was  ascertained  to  a  certainty  that  the 
ship  was  going  down,  all  order  was  at  an  end,  and 
men  ran  here  and  there  in  every  direction. 

Dick's  few  effects,  with  two  or  three  valnable 
keepsakes,  were  in  the  locker  between  the  decks, 
and  he  ran  below  to  secure  them.  He  had  scarce 
done  so  when  lie  heard  the  cry  from  the  deck : 

"  All  hands  on  deck — ship  is  going  down !"  He 
had  just  reached  the  upper  step  of  the  forward 
companion-way,  when  the  water  entering  the  berth- 
deck  ports  forced  the  air  up,  and  almost  carried 
him  off  his  feet.  He  called  for  Charley  and  cast 
his  eyes  around  on  the  horrible  scene,  the  result  of 
the  conflict.  Shakings  lay  near  the  main  gang- 
way, his  body  torn  open  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell. 
Old  Gill,  with  his  head  crashed  under  the  carriage 
of  an  eight-inch  gun,  was  lying  there,  his  brawny 
hands  clutching  the  breast  of  his  jumper. 

"Charley!"  Dick  called. 

For  a  moment  he  was  appalled  lest  his  compan- 
ion, friend,  and  kinsman  had  met  with  an  accident; 
but  a  moment  later  he  received  an  answer,  and 
saw  Charley  lashing  two  spars  together  to  form  a 
sort  of  a  raft.  Just  as  the  water  came  over  the 
stern,  the  two  sailors  launched  their  frail  craft, 
and  went  over  the  port  bulwarks.  Both  men  were 
good  swimmers,  and  were  pushing  their  raft  along, 
when  the  yacht,  which  they  had  seen  watching  the 


THE  ALABAMA  AND  KEARSARGE.  313 

fight  from  a  distance,  bore  clown  upon  them,  and 
picked  them  up. 

This  was  Mr.  Lancaster's  yacht,  the  Deerhound. 
A  few  moments  later  Captain  Semmes  and  his 
officers  were  also  taken  aboard  the  yacht.  Wheff 
Mr.  Lancaster  had  rescued  Captain  Semmes,  he 
said: 

"  I  think  every  man  has  been  picked  up.  Where 
shall  I  land  you?" 

"  I  am  now  under  English  colors,  and  the  sooner 
you  put  me  with  my  officers  on  English  soil,  the 
better,"  replied  Captain  Semmes. 

"I  will  do  it  in  a  few  hours,"  Mr.  Lancaster 
answered,  and  at  once  steamed  away  to  Southamp- 
ton. 

Everything  had  happened  so  rapidh^  that  Dick's 
brain  was  in  a  whirl.  But  a  short  time  before  he 
was  on  the  unconquerable  ^/aiama;  then  the  fight 
and  sinking  of  the  ship,  all  seemed  like  a  vivid 
dream.  When  he  closed  his  eyes,  he  could  still 
see  her  going  down  stern  foremost,  and  her  head 
high  in  the  air. 

The  sailors  were  given  an  opportunity  to  wash 
the  powder  and  stains  of  battle  off  their  faces. 
Dick  was  standing  aft  gazing  on  the  fast  disap- 
pearing coast  and  sighing  at  the  terrible  fate  of  his 
ship,  when  he  heard  a  light  step  near  him,  and 
turning  beheld  Lorena  Lancaster.     He  started  and 


314  UNION. 

for  a  few  moments  was  overwhelmed  and  unable 
to  speak.  At  last  he  went  boldly  to  her  side  and 
said : 

"You  saw  it  all?" 

She  nodded. 

"  Lorena,  I  enlisted  for  you.  I  failed.  We 
are  defeated.  Will  3'OU  forsake  me  in  my  dis- 
tress?" 

They  were  alone.  Everybody  was  forward, 
and  the  cabins  and  rigging  hid  them  from  view. 
For  a  moment  the  beauty  of  England  hung  her 
head,  then,  blushing,  answered: 

"  No. " 

It  was  all  arranged  in  a  few  moments,  and  he 
was  the  accepted  lover  of  the  proud  English  beauty, 
who  averred  that  she  would  marry  him  out  of  pity 
for  his  misfortunes;  but  it  was  determined  to 
postpone  the  wedding  until  the  war  was  over. 
After  a  few  weeks'  sojourn  in  England,  Dick  and 
Charley  took  passage  for  their  own  country  to  con- 
tinue the  battle  on  land  which  had  proven  a  failure 
on  sea.  We  shall  meet  them  again  in  the  course 
of  this  story. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE    DESERTER. 

The  very  least  Mark  Stevens  could  expect  for 
aiding  the  spy  to  escape  was  a  trial  and  conviction 
by  court-martial.  His  past  good  conduct  might 
tend  to  mitigate  the  sentence ;  but  disgrace  and  dis- 
charge must  inevitably  follow. 

"  I  have  saved  Elsie,  that  is  one  consolation." 
There  was  a  sweet,  holy  satisfaction  in  the  thought. 
His  love  for  the  proud  little  rebel  was  of  a  purely 
unselfish  sort,  and  surmounted  every  obstacle. 
For  no  other  person  would  he  have  given  so  much. 
Glancing  at  the  shoulder  straps  which  he  had  won 
after  so  much  hard  work,  he  sighed :  "  It  is  all 
over  now.  I  shall  soon  lose  them ;  but  I  lose  them 
for  her. '' 

It  was  noon  on  the  3d  of  October  when  he  came 
in  sight  of  Corinth.  The  air  was  suddenly  filled 
with  the  sharp  crack  of  musketry,  and  roll  of 
artillery. 

"  They  have  come.  Price  and  Van  Dorn  have 
come,"  cried  Lieutenant  Stevens,  and  forgetting 
315 


816  UNION. 

all  else,  save  the  coming  battle,  he  plunged  his 
spurs  into  his  horse's  flanks  and  galloped  down 
the  road.  Before  he  was  aware  of  it,  he  actual! v 
rode  over  the  enemy's  skirmish  line  and.  with 
bullets  whistling  like  hail  about  him,  dashed  into 
his  own  lines,  waving  his  sword  and  cheering  the 
soldiers. 

Rosecrans  had  not  long  been  in  Corinth  after 
the  battle  of  luka  before  he  ascertained  that  the 
enemy  was  concentrating  on  that  place,  or  some 
other  point,  which  would  cut  off  his  communica- 
tions and  compel  him  to  evacuate  it.  Price,  Van 
Dorn  and  Lovell  had  united  their  entire  forces  for 
the  purpose  of  crushing  his  comparatively  small 
army,  before  he  could  receive  reinforcements. 
Rosecrans,  calling  all  his  troops  from  adjacent  posts, 
watched  with  deepest  solicitude  the  development 
of  the  hostile  plan.  At  length,  discovering  that 
the  rebels  had  marched  around  him  to  the  east- 
ward, and  were  moving  down  on  Corinth  from  the 
north  and  northeast,  he  formed  his  plan,  and 
disposing  his  troops  to  the  best  possible  advantage, 
calmly  awaited  the  attack.  He  knew  he  was  out- 
numbered two  to  one ;  but  he  relied  on  the  strength 
of  his  position,  and  the  indomitable  character  of 
his  troops.  McKean  commanded  the  left.  Davies 
the  centre,  and  the  gallant  Hamilton  the  right, 
where  Rosecrans  supposed  the  weight  of  the  strug- 


THE  DESERTER.  317 

gle  would  fall.  The  old  fortifications  thrown  up 
bj  Beauregard  were  too  extensive  for  his  little 
army  to  hold,  and  so  he  erected  works  within 
them. 

The  plan  of  Kosecrans  was  to  advance  on  the 
enemy  as  he  approached,  make  an  attack,  thus 
forcing  him  to  develop  his  lines,  and  then  retire 
behind  his  own  works,  so  that  the  batteries  could 
sweep  the  rebels  as  they  emerged  into  the  open 
ground  in  front. 

This  was  the  programme  that  the  Union  army 
was  carrying  out  when  Lieutenant  Mark  Stevens 
came  on  the  scene,  rode  through  the  extending  skir- 
mish lines,  and  without  fully  realizing  it,  joined  his 
own  company.  The  skirmishing  was  hot  and 
lasted  all  day,  and  night  found  the  Union  forces 
in  a  town  which  the  enem}-  had  closely  invested. 
Much  uneasiness  was  felt  on  the  part  of  the  soldiers 
because  they  had  been  so  easily  driven  back  into 
the  place,  where  the  enemy's  shells  could  reach 
them;  but  they  did  not  understand  the  motive  of 
their  able  commander.  All  night  long  the  tramp 
of  marshalling  hosts  could  be  heard,  and  the  plant- 
ing of  batteries  within  close  range. 

Not  a  word  had  been  .spoken  to  Mark  since  his 
arrival.  In  fact  they  had  been  too  busily  engaged 
with  the  enemy  to  give  thought  to  aught  else. 
When   they  were  all  finally  drawn  within  their 


318  UNION. 

newly  constructed  works,  and  night  was  falling  on 
the  scene,  the  captain  came  to  him  and  said : 

"  Well,  lieutenant,  you  got  off  from  that  de- 
tailed service  to  help  us  in  this  fight,  did  you?" 

"  Yes, "  he  mechanically  answered,  wondering  if 
the  captain  was  in  earnest,  or  speaking  ironically. 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  here,  for  Lieutenant  Grafton 
will  never  fight  again." 

Mark  had  missed  the  first  lieutenant  for  some 
hours,  but  had  not,  up  to  this  time,  learned  his 
fate. 

"  Is  Lieutenant  Grafton  dead?" 

"  No,  he  is  still  living,  I  believe,  but  he  has  a 
bullet  through  his  chest  and  will  die  before  morn- 
ing." 

"  It  is  sad. " 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  your  promotion.  You  may  be 
captain  before  the  setting  of  to-morrow's  sun." 

"  I  hope  not,  Captain  Hawk.  I  don't  want 
promotion  that  way. " 

They  listened  for  awhile  to  the  low  rumbling  of 
artillery  wheels,  and  Lieutenant  Stevens  said : 

"  Captain ,  we  are  going  to  have  a  hard  struggle 
in  the  morning. " 

"  It  will  be  two  to  one. " 

"  But  we  can  beat  them  off. " 

Shortly  after  this  he  felt  some  one  touch  his 
arm,  and  looking  about  saw  Bill  Simms. 


THE  DESERTER.  319 

"  Leftenant,  I  wanter  speak  t'  ye,"  said  Simms. 
Mark  sufJered  himself  to  be  led  aside,  and  Simms 
whispered:  "D'ye  know  that  blamed  gal  got 
away." 

"  How?"  he  asked  evasively. 

"  Hang  me  ef  I  know.  When  I  was  relieved 
by  Collins,  he  asked  if  she  wanted  anything,  and 
she  made  no  answer.  He  supposed  she  was  asleep 
and  did  not  disturb  her.  At  breakfast  time  I 
rapped  at  her  door,  and  when  she  made  no  answer, 
opened  it  and  went  in.  She  wasn't  there.  Col- 
lins and  I  kept  the  secret  to  ourselves,  and  went 
out  to  look  for  her,  but  she  couldn't  be  found, 
though  how  in  thunder  she  got  away,  I  don't 
know." 

"  Have  you  reported  the  matter?" 

"Yes." 

"To  whom?" 

"The  colonel." 

"What  did  he  say?" 

"  He  said  keep  it  still ;  not  to  say  a  word  that 
would  get  out  among  the  men,  but  he  thought  I 
might  tell  you." 

Mark  thanked  the  colonel  from  the  bottom  of 
his  heart;  yet  he  felt  some  misgivings  about 
meeting  him.  He  did  not  meet  the  colonel  until 
after  midnight;  then,  as  he  chanced  to  pass  his 
quarters,  he  was  summoned  to  his  side. 


320  UNION. 

"You   were  in   tbe  front  to-day,    lieutenant?" 
said  the  colonel. 
*     "  Yes,  colonel,"  he  answered  with  a  salute. 

"  I  wish  3'OU  would  take  this  dispatch  to  General 
Rosecrans. " 

He  hurriedly  wrote  the  dispatch  and  handed  it 
to  Mark.  It  contained  some  information  concern- 
ing the  front.  General  Rosecrans  was  busy  that 
night.  It  was  almost  three  o'clock  before  he 
wrapped  his  blanket  about  him,  and  lay  down  to 
catch  a  few  moments'  sleep  before  the  coming  dawn 
which  was  to  usher  in  a  scene  of  fire  and  death. 

At  last  the  long  wished  for,  but  much  dreaded, 
dawn  streaked  the  eastern  sky,  and  the  rolling  of 
drum,  and  pealing  of  bugle  awoke  the  morning 
echoes,  and  were  answered  by  those  of  the  enemy 
in  the  dark  forests  beyond. 

The  rebel  force  was  massed  in  the  angle  formed 
by  the  Memphis  and  Columbus  railroads.  The 
left  of  the  Union  army  rested  on  the  batteries  ex- 
tending west  from  Fort  Robinette,  the  centre  on 
the  slight  ridge  north  of  the  houses,  and  the  riglit 
on  the  high  ground  which  covered  the  Pittsburg 
and  Purdy  roads,  that  led  away  to  the  old  Shiloh 
battle-ground.  The  rebel  plan  was  to  mass  their 
force  against  the  Union  batteries  and  overwhelm 
them  by  their  impetuous  charge.  This  could  be 
done  only  by  a  terrible  sacrifice ;  for  four  redoubts 


THE  DESERTER.  331 

covered  all  the  approaches,  while  batteries  were  in 
every  place  where  guns  could  be  advantageously 
posted,  so  that  the  whole  open  space  in  front  of 
the  Union  lines  could  be  swept  by  a  storm  of  fire 
and  iron  hail. 

With  daylight  skirmishing  began,  and  the  heavy 
boom  of  cannon  here  and  there  shook  the  field 
long  before  the  enemy's  lines  became  visible. 
They  were  forming  in  the  roads  running  through 
the  forest,  half  a  mile  or  more  in  front,  and  every 
eye  was  strained  to  catch  the  heads  of  the  columns 
as  they  moved  out  for  the  final  advance.  The 
very  mystery  that  shrouded  the  attacking  host, 
hidden  in  those  stirless  woods,  added  to  the  im- 
pressiveness  of  the  scene.  At  length,  a  little  after 
nine  o'clock,  the  fearful  suspense  was  ended  by 
the  heads  of  the  columns  issuing  from  the  leafy 
covering.  In  columns  and  divisions  the  whole 
host  moved  in  splendid  order  up  the  Bolivar  road, 
straight  toward  the  mysterious  batteries.  Long 
lines  of  glittering  steel  crested  the  gray  formation 
below,  as,  with  steady  step  and  closed  ranks,  they 
swept  forward.  Like  a  great  wedge  at  first,  but 
slowly  unfolding  two  expanding  wings,  the  enemy 
swept  down  on  Corinth.  It  was  a  beautiful  move- 
ment and  well  executed. 

Price  on  the  left  and  Van  Dorn  on  the  right 
moved  on  together;  but  the  latter,  meeting  with 
.      21 


322  UNION. 

unexpected  obstacles,  lost  a  little  time,  and  the 
division  of  General  Price  cangbt  tlie  first  fury  of 
the  storm.  Eight  up  the  turfy  slope,  the  steady 
columns  pressed,  swept  by  the  whole  line  of  bat- 
teries, sending  shot  and  shell  tearing  through  their 
ranks,  and  like  clouds  shattered  by  lightning,  tbey 
wavered.  The  ground  was  covered  by  a  dense 
white  smoke,  the  line  of  breastworks  being  marked 
only  by  a  fierce  angry  light  playing  through  the  sul- 
phurous vapor.  It  was  the  constant  flashing  from 
thousands  of  muskets,  and  so  continuous  was  the 
fusillade  that  the  flame  never  entirel}^  died  away. 
The  entire  field  was  a  scene  of  terrible  confusion. 
Ammunition  wagons  were  being  hurriedly  un- 
loaded in  the  centre,  the  boxes  of  cartridges  were 
moving  on  men's  shoulders  in  the  direction  of  the 
engaged  lines,  while  hundreds  of  wounded  men 
were  streaming  to  the  rear,  a  long  string  of 
stretchers  accompanying  them.  The  dead  and 
dying  darkened  the  ground ;  but  the  firing  never 
faltered.  .  With  bent  heads  and  leaning  forms  like 
those  who  breast  a  driving  sleet,  they  pressed 
sternly  forward,  making  straight  for  Eosecrans' 
centre.  Onward  and  upward,  through  fire  and 
death  and  tempests  of  bullets,  grapeshot  and  crash- 
ing bombs,  they  pressed  like  the  march  of  fate. 
At  last  they  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and 
Davies'  division  gave  way  in  disorder. 


THE  DESERTER.  323 

The  eye  of  Rosecrans  never  for  a  moment  left 
the  rolling  mass,  and  when  he  saw  this  disaster, 
he  dashed  amid  the  broken  ranks,  heedless  of  the 
raining  shot  and  shell  and  rallied  them  in  person ; 
but  the  enemy  seeing  their  advantage,  sprang  for- 
ward with  a  shout,  and  the  headquarters  of  Rose- 
crans was  overrun  with  Confederate  troops,  and 
the  next  moment  their  fire  was  pouring  into  the 
public  square  of  the  town  itself.  Hamilton's  divi- 
sion of  veterans  was  compelled  to  fall  back,  and 
with  a  shout  of  victory  the  Southern  troops  rushed 
on  to  Fort  Richardson,  the  key  to  the  position. 

A  single  sheet  of  flame  burst  from  its  sides,  and 
when  the  smoke  rose,  the  space  where  they  stood 
was  clear  of  living  men ;  only  the  dead  and  bleed- 
ing were  left.  But  those  brave  men  had  not  trod 
death's  highway  so  far  to  yield  at  the  first  wither- 
ing blast  of  destruction,  especially  when  they 
found  victory  almost  in  their  grasp;  and  once 
more  rallying,  they  reformed  their  shattered  ranks, 
and  precipitated  themselves  forward  with  the  fury 
and  clamor  of  demons.  Richardson  sank  dying 
among  his  guns,  and  next  moment  the  Confeder- 
ates with  wild  cheers  were  running  over  them. 
But  the  gallant  Fifty-sixth  Illinois  were  hidden  in  a 
ravine  near,  and  springing  to  their  feet  they  poured 
in  a  close  and  deliberate  volley,  dashed  across  the 
plateau,  and  into  the  fort,  almost  lifting  the  Con- 


324  UNION. 

federates  bodily  out  of  it,  so  sudden,   desperate, 
and  wild  was  tbeir  charge. 

"Forward!"  cried  Hamilton,  and  the  command 
ran  along  the  glorious  line.  Sweeping  forward 
with  a  front  of  bristling  steel,  he  completed  the 
overthrow.  Price's  host  was  at  last  shattered. 
Human  endurance  had  reached  its  limit;  despair 
took  the  place  of  courage,  and,  flinging  away  their 
useless  arms  they  broke  wildly  for  the  woods. 
And  then  such  a  shout  of  victory  went  up  as  those 
who  heard  it  will  never  forget  to  their  latest  day. 
It  rolled  down  the  line  and  Van  Dorn,  on  the  left, 
heard  it  with  a  sinking  heart.  Struggling  through 
a  ravine,  thickets  and  abatis,  he  was  a  moment 
too  late  to  have  his  blow  fall  simultaneously  with 
that  of  Price,  else  the  issue  might  have  been  dif- 
ferent. He  was  now  in  front  of  Fort  Eobinette, 
within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  which  stood 
Fort  Williams.  These  guns  had  poured  a  deadly 
enfilading  fire  through  his  ranks  as  he  advanced, 
and  now  the  former  with  the  ten -pound  Parrott 
gun  stood  right  in  his  path.  Over  these  he  must 
go,  or  turn  back  over  the  field,  gained  at  such 
horrible  sacrifice.  The  shouts  of  victory  borne  to 
him  from  the  left  sounded  like  the  knell  of  doom. 
Price  had  failed  at  Fort  Eichardson,  and  now 
alone  and  unaided,  he  must  carry  the  works  before 
him,  or  all  was  lost.     It  was  a  terrible  task  and 


THE  DESERTER.  325 

one  could'  iiot  have  blamed  liim,  had  he  paused 
before  undertaking"  it.  Did  he  falter?  No!  Did 
he  shrink?  No — but  gathering  up  all  his  energies 
for  one  desperate  effort,  he  rushed  to  the  awful 
undertaking.  Two  brigades,  led  by  Colonel  Rog- 
ers of  Texas,  swiftly  advanced  on  the  fort.  In- 
stantly its  guns  and  those  of  Fort  Williams  opened 
their  fire,  and  shot  and  shell  went  tearing  through 
the  dense  columns;  but  they  braced  themselves 
for  the  fearful  work  they  knew  was  before  them, 
and  breasted  the  iron  storm  with  sublime  devotion. 

Coming  nearer  they  were  mowed  down  by  the 
infantry.  Their  solid  formation  caved  before  it, 
as  the  sand-bank  before  the  torrent;  but,  closing 
up  compact  as  iron,  the  diminished  numbers,  with 
their  e3'es  bent  sternly  on  the  prize  before  them, 
kept  on  their  terrible  way. 

"  Forward! — Forward!"  shouted  Rogers,  strid- 
ing along  at  their  head,  and  seeming  to  possess  a 
charmed  life.  His  voice  was  heard  even  above 
the  din  and  roar  of  battle.  Struggling  through 
the  fallen  timber,  they  fell  and  were  caught  among 
the  branches,  presenting  a  ghastly  spectacle.  Still 
the  living  never  faltered — -with  eyes  fixed  on  their 
heroic  leader,  they  let  the  volleys  crash,  and  the 
devastating  fires  burn  along  their  lines,  with  stoical 
indifference.  At  last  they  neared  the  ditch,  and 
for  one  awful  moment  paused.    Rogers,  still  tower- 


326  UNION. 

ing  in  front  nnhurt,  waved  the  rebel  flag  in  his 
left  hand,  holding  a  revolver  in  his  right, — still 
shouting : 

''Forward/'' 

With  one  bound  he  cleared  the  ditch.  Leaping 
up  the  slope,  he  planted  his  standard  on  the  ram- 
parts. The  next  moment  he  fell  a  corpse,  and 
rolled  banner  and  all  into  the  ditch.  Five  brave 
Texans,  who  had  never  for  a  single  moment  left 
their  brave  leader's  side,  pitched  heavily  forward 
into  the  fort,  sharing  his  fate. 

The  Ohio  brigade  commanded  by  Colonel  Fuller 
had  lain  flat  on  their  faces  just  over  the  ridge,  and 
now  in  close  range,  rose  and  delivered  six  swift 
volleys,  and  cleared  the  front  of  the  enemy.  The 
supporting  Confederate  brigade  now  advanced  into 
the  same  volcano,  bent  on  the  same  hopeless 
errand.  Taking  the  close  and  swift  volleys  into 
their  bosoms  without  shrinking,  they  kept  on  until 
maddened  into  desperation,  they  made  one  wild 
rash  on  the  Sixty-third  Ohio  that  crossed  their 
path ;  but  the  brave  fellows  stood  like  a  rock  in 
their  places,  and,  in  a  moment,  friend  and  foe 
were  locked  in  a  hand-to-hand  death-struggle. 
Bayonets,  clubbed  muskets  and,  when  these  failed, 
clenched  fists  were  used.  The  fight  was  brief  but 
terrible,  and  the  shouts,  yells  and  curses  that 
arose  on  the  air  seemed  wrenched  from  the  throats 


THE  DESERTER.  337 

of  demons.  At  last  the  Confederate  hosts  gave 
way,  when  the  Eleventh  Missouri  and  Twenty- 
seventh  Ohio  sprang  forward  and  chased  them  to 
cover. 

The  battle  was  over.  No  second  charge  could 
be  made,  for  the  victory  was  won,  though  at  a 
fearful  cost. 

As  Kosecrans  rode  along  the  whole  line  of  battle, 
he  was  greeted  with  thundering  cheers.  Even  the 
wounded,  the  faint  and  the  dying  lifted  their 
feeble  voices  to  cheer  their  favorite  commander. 
He  told  his  brave  troops,  that  although  they  had 
been  two  days  marching  and  preparing  for  battle, 
and  had  passed  two  sleepless  nights,  and  endured 
two  days'  fighting,  he  wanted  them  to  fill  their 
cartridge  boxes,  haversacks  and  stomachs,  take  an 
early  sleep,  and  at  daylight  press  after  the  flying 
foe. 

McPherson,  having  in  the  mean  time  arrived  at 
Corinth  with  a  fresh  brigade,  was  immediately 
started  in  pursuit,  and  the  roar  of  cannon  died 
away  in  the  distance,  as  he  closely  pressed  the  re- 
tiring columns  of  the  enemy.  The  roads  and 
fields  were  strewn  with  the  wrecks  of  the  fight, 
and  the  Confederates  narrowly  escaped  destruction 
in  the  Forks  of  the  Hatchie.  The  battle-fields 
about  Corinth  presented  a  frightful  spectacle,  and 
for  vreeks  the  stench  was  terrible.     The  great  vie- 


338  UNION. 

tory  made  Eosecrans  almost  invincible.  Victory 
followed  his  standard  wherever  he  w^ent,  and  with 
that  fondness  for  nicknaming  beloved  commanders 
so  common  to  American  soldiers,  his  troops  chris- 
tened him,  "  Old  Rosy." 

"  Eosecrans  believed  that  if  Grant  had  supported 
him,  as  he  requested  him  to  do,  he  could  easily 
have  entered  Vicksburg  and  saved  the  sacrifice  of 
men  and  money. "  * 

Lieutenant  Mark  Stevens'  regiment  had  borne 
the  brunt  of  the  assault  at  Fort  Robinette.  Con- 
spicuous at  every  point  where  danger  was  greatest 
was  the  brave  lieutenant.  When  the  Texans 
rushed  pell-mell  into  the  fort,  he,  with  drawn 
sword,  faced  bayonets  and  clubbed  guns.  He 
rallied  the  few  men  who  were  about  to  fly ;  others 
came  to  their  aid;  and  as  they  held  in  check  the 
on-surging  foe,  who  were  appalled  at  their  stub- 
bornness, hundreds  and  thousands  of  bluecoats 
came  to  their  aid,  and  they  drove  the  enemy  back. 

Mark  had  faced  death  for  an  hour,  and  the  fight 
was  over,  and  he  unhurt;  though  Captain  Hawk 
lay  dead  in  the  trenches  witli  a  bullet  in  the  centre 
of  his  forehead.  Mark  was  now  the  only  com- 
missioned oflficer  in  the  company.  Next  day  after 
the  battle,  he  reported  to  the  colonel. 

Collins  and  Bradford   were  killed  in  the  fight, 
*Headley's  "Great  Rebellion,"  vol.  ii.,  page  103. 


THE  DESERTER.  329 

Sis  was  badly  wounded,  and  in  the  hospital,  and 
Bill  Simras  was  too  stupid  to  suspect  that  his  cap- 
tain had  had  any  hand  in  the  escape  of  the  spy. 
So  Mark  went  with  tolerable  good  grace  to  the 
presence  of  his  colonel;  thougli  he  felt  some  mis- 
givings, for  he  believed  that  the  colonel  suspected 
that  he  had  been  guilty  of  aiding  the  spy  to  escape. 

Of  course  in  the  heat  of  battle,  there  was  no 
time  to  consider  his  case.  A  captaincy  was  in 
sight,  and  yet  when  he  remembered  what  he  had 
done,  he  thought  the  sergeant  might  have  as  good 
a  showing  as  himself. 

He  consoled  himself  all  along  with  the  reflec- 
tion, that  whatever  he  might  have  lost,  he  had 
saved  Elsie.  The  colonel  greeted  him  with  a 
fatherly  smile,  and  grasping  his  hand  said : 

"  M}'  boy,  I  had  my  eye  on  you  yesterday,  and 
your  gallantry  shall  not  escape  mention  in  my 
report. " 

"  But,  colonel "  began  Mark,  determined  to 

confess  everything. 

"  Oh,  I  know  what  you  would  say.  It's  your 
commission.  Go  on  and  take  charge  of  the  com- 
pany, and  it  shall  be  sent  you  in  due  time." 

Mark  breathed  easier.  He  thanked  the  colonel, 
and  wrung  his  hand  while  his  eyes  grew  dim.  He 
felt  in  his  heart  that  the  colonel  must  know  all, 
and  must  suspect  him.      He  received  some  orders 


330  UNION. 

and  was  about  to  leave  the  headquarters,  when  his 
blood  was  suddenly  frozen  by  the  appearance  of 
the  secret  service  agent,  Mr.  Trotter. 

"  Well,  Colonel  Belcher,  you  had  some  rough 
work  yesterday, "  said  Mr.  Trotter.  "  I  was  an 
eye-witness  to  part  of  it, — oh,  I  see  here  is  Lieu- 
tenant Stevens,  whom  I  have  been  looking  for " 

"  Captain  Stevens  now,  Mr.  Trotter, "  corrected 
the  colonel. 

"  So,  he  is  promoted.  Well,  Captain  Stevens, 
how  about  the  prisoner, — the  pretty  spy?" 

Mark  realized  that  the  truth  had  to  come  at  last; 
but  before  he  could  speak,  the  colonel  put  in: 

"  Why  you  see,  Mr.  Trotter,  we  had  it  so 
devilish  close  here  yesterday,  and  all  got  so  badly 
mixed  up,  that  your  prisoner,  I  am  afraid,  got 
away. " 

"  You  were  not  guarding  her  yesterday,  then?" 
asked  Mr.  Trotter  fixing  his  keen  eyes  on  Mark. 

"  No,  the  captain  was  in  the  front.  Now,  cap- 
tain, you  can  go  to  your  quarters  and  make  an 
early  report  of  how  many  men  you  have  fit  for 
duty!" 

Mark  Stevens  left  the  colonel,  blessing  his 
name.  In  due  time  Mark's  commission  came. 
Next  day  the  regiment  pushed  on  after  the  flying 
Confederates,  and  on  the  third  night  Mark's  com- 
pany held  a  picket  post  on   the    extreme  front. 


THE  DESERTER.  331 

Every  man  not  on  actual  duty  was  sleeping  on  his 
arms.  The  enemy  were  at  times  so  near  that  they 
conld  distinctly  hear  them  talking,  and  some 
averred  that  they  could  even  distinguish  their 
words. 

The  night  was  dark  and  gusty.  A  fine  mist 
like  rain  was  falling,  and  the  soldiers  drawing 
their  capes  about  their  ears  sat  in  groups  under 
the  trees,  some  of  them  nodding,  and  some  wide 
awake.  Their  young  commander  was  ever  watch- 
ful, ever  on  the  alert.  He  stood  with  his  back 
against  a  tree,  his  eyes  fixed  front,  as  if  he  would 
pierce  the  intense  darkness.  Half  a  dozen  men 
had  been  thrown  forward  to  reconnoitre,  and  one 
of  these  came  back,  shortly  after,  with  the  report 
that  the  enemy  were  retiring.  Suddenly  the  sharp 
report  of  a  musket  rang  out  on  the  rainy  night. 

"Fall  in!"  commanded  Mark.  In  a  moment 
his  company  was  in  line. 

They  waited  for  several  moments  and  then  all 
became  still.  At  last  they  heard  voices  approach- 
ing. Perhaps  their  advance  was  falling  back  or 
had  sent  some  one  to  report.  Mark  stepped  out 
in  front  of  his  company,  and  ordered  the  man  who 
was  advancing  to  halt. 

"It's  all  right,  captain.  It's  Jack  Weston. 
Friend  with  the  countersign. " 

"Who  fired  that  shot?" 


333  UNION. 

"Tom  Hall." 

"At  whom?" 

"  We've  got  a  prisoner,  captain." 

"  Where  did  you  get  him?" 

"  He  came  to  us,  and  says  he  is  a  deserter  from 
the  enemy. " 

"  Bring  him  here!" 

The  soldier  disappeared  in  the  darkness,  and 
a  few  moments  later  returned  with  two  more 
men,  leading  a  man  in  badh^  faded  and  much 
worn  gray  uniform.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  his 
features. 

"  Capen,  here's  a  chap  who  thinks  Judpment 
Day's  comin',  and  he's  not  saved,''  said  Bill 
Sirams  with  a  hoarse  laugh. 

"  Come  here,  sir,  and  tell  me  who  you  are!"  said 
Mark  to  the  prisoner. 

"  I  am  a  rebel  tired  of  the  business,  and,  if  there 
is  a  peaceful  s^Dot  on  all  the  broad  green  earth,  I 
want  to  find  it. " 

The  voice  was  familiar,  and  Mark  Stevens,  with 
a  gasp  of  surprise  said: 

"  So  you  have  surrendered,  Alec ?" 

"  Mark,  Mark  !  Great  Noah's  flood,  it's  Mark !" 
cried  the  prisoner  embracing  him.  "  Oh,  this  is 
too  good  to  be  true.  Say  Mark,  I  dreamed  last 
night  that  I  found  you.  Have  you  anj^thing  to 
eat  over  there?     Have  you  any  coffee,  and  good 


THE  DESERTER. 


333 


bread.      I've  lived  on  hard-tack  and   English  sea 
biscuit,    until    mj    poor    stomach    almost    rebels 

against  it  "   and  the 
poor  fellow  lattled  on 


"I'm  a  rebel,  tired  of  the  business." 

at   this    rate,    alternately   exciting   his   captors   to 
laughter  and  tears  for  ten  minutes. 

Mark   then  got  him   quieted   and   leading  him 
aside  asked : 


334  UNION. 

"  Alec,  did  you  really  intend  to  desert." 

"  I  did,  Mark,  for  I  tell  yon  I  am  tired  of  this. 
Besides,  I  heard  one  of  the  Southern  Independence 
Association  agents,  from  England,  tell  my  colonel 
they  aided  the  South  because  they  hated  the 
United  States,  which  had  defeated  them  in  two 
wars,  and  was  a  living  menace  to  monarchical 
forms  of  government.  Mark,  our  fathers  and  our 
grandfathers  fought  the  British,  and,  by  the  Eter- 
nal, I  won't  fight  for  them.  They  are  just  mak- 
ing cat's  paws  of  us,  that's  all,  and  I  am  going  to 
pull  no  more  of  their  chestnuts  out  of  the  fire. 
Henceforth  I  am  for  Uncle  Sam,  if  Uncle  Sam 
wants  me. " 

"  Do  you  intend  to  enlist?" 

"I  do." 

"  Let  us  think  the  matter  over,  Alec, "  suggested 
Captain  Stevens.      "  Meanwhile,  stay  in  our  camp. " 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

THE    CONFLICT    IN    THE    CLOUDS. 

Time  and  trying  circumstances  make  some 
changes  in  men;  but  characteristics  so  indelibly 
stamped  on  one  as  were  the  peculiarities  of  Alec 
Stevens  could  not  be  wholly  changed.  He  was 
the  same  loquacious,  jolly  companion  of  old,  and 
had  more  amusing  stories  to  tell  than  any  one  in 
the  regiment. 

"  So,  Mark,  you've  got  a  pair  of  shoulder  straps 
at  last.  I  dare  say  you  didn't  get  them  before 
you  earned  them.  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  in  this  world,  poor  fellows  like  you  and  me 
get  nothing  gratuitously.  You  look  like  a  mili- 
tary man  now,  one  of  the  solid  stuff,  too ;  no  West 
Point  martinet,  fit  only  for  dress  parade  or  the 
ballroom,  'bout you;  no  weak-minded,  effeminate, 
pedantic,  pedagogical,  carpet-pantalooned,  long- 
haired, goatee  and  sweet-scented  creatah  about  you, 
I'll  bet.  No  sir,  you  are  here  to  knock  the  John- 
nies on  the  head,  and  I  am  glad  to  know  that  you 
have  climbed  completely  and  teetotally  over  the 
335 


336  VNION. 

sun-baked,  clam-headed  fools,  the  half-finished 
squirts,  the  verdant  dandies,  lions  of  codfish  aris- 
tocracy, coxcombs  and  scapegraces,  who  are  a 
disgrace  to  the  nation." 

In  order  to  change  the  current  of  his  thought, 
Mark  asked: 

"  When  did  you  see  your  parents.  Alec?" 

"  It's  been  more  than  a  year." 

"  But  you  have  heard  from  them?" 

"  Well,  yes,  I  have.  I  had  a  letter  from  home 
about  three  months  ago. " 

"  Have  you  heard  from  Charleston?" 

"  Not  for  four  or  five  months. " 

Mark  was  silent.  He  knew  it  was  useless  to 
ask  about  Elsie,  for  the  chances  were  that  he  had 
seen  her  last.  Mark  went  with  Alec  to  the  colonel 
of  the  regiment  and  the  matter  was  laid  before 
him. 

"  So,  young  man,  you  have  deserted  the  cause 
of  the  South  and  come  back  to  the  defence  of  your 
country,"  said  the  colonel  kindly. 

"  Yes,  sir.  As  Patrick  Henry  said,  I  am  no 
longer  a  Virginian,  but  an  American.  I  realize 
that  we  were  all  teetotally  bamboozled,  befuddled 
and  befooled  by  the  wiles,  traps  and  snares  of  Cal- 
hounism.  Others  can  do  as  they  please  about  it, 
but,  as  for  me,  I  am  back  under  the  old  flag,  and 
I  have  come  to  stay." 


THE  CONFLICT  IX  THE  CLOUDS.  337 

Colonel  Belcher  grasped  tlie  convert's  band  and 
answered : 

"  You  have  chosen  wisely.  You  should  have 
made  this  choice  in  the  beginning;  but  it  is  never 
too  late  to  mend.  I  hope  the  same  truth  may 
dawn  on  the  minds  of  all  jour  deluded  fellow 
Confederates,  and  bring  them  all  back  to  the  fold." 

After  the  conference  was  over,  the  colonel  took 
Captain  Stevens  aside  and  asked : 

"  Do  you  know  him?" 

"  Yes. " 

"Is  he  sincere?" 

"  I  would  stake  my  life  on  it. " 

"  Then  I  will  parole  him  for  a  few  days  and 
give  him  an  opportunity  to  enlist. " 

Mark  Stevens  impressed  on  his  cousin  the  dan- 
ger that  would  follow  his  enlistment  should  he  be 
captured  by  his  former  friends;  but  he  declared 
himself  willing  to  rislv  it. 

"  I  felt  all  along  that  I  was  not  exactly  in  my 
element,  Mark.  That  was  one  reason  that  I  never 
sought  to  elevate  myself  in  the  ranks.  I  was  only 
a  private  in  an  humble  place,  for  I  felt  that  the 
less  the  responsibility  on  me,  the  smaller  would  be 
my  crime.  The  South  has  good  officers,  Mark. 
You  must  admit  that  Lee,  Jackson,  and  Joe  and 
Sidney  Johnston  are  away  ahead  of  your  Grant, 
McClellan,  Sherman,  or  any  other  officer  j^ou 
22 


338  UNION. 

have;  but  I  tell  you  their  hearts  are  not  really  in 
it.  With  all  the  enthusiasm  they  claim,  they  feel 
way  down  deep  in  their  souls  that  they  are  not 
rio;ht.  Thev  won't  admit  even  to  themselves  that 
they  are  in  the  wrong;  but  they  feel  a  keen  sense 
of  doubt.  If  it  was  under  the  old  flag  that  they 
were  fighting  it  would  be  quite  different.  Why, 
I  can  hardly  keep  from  throwing  up  my  old  slouch 
hat  every  time  I  see  the  old  Stars  and  Stripes." 

Although  Mark  Stevens  often  wished  to  speak 
to  Alec  of  Elsie,  he  refrained  from  doing  so,  and 
Alec,  from  some  cause,  though  he  was  a  fluent 
talker  on  all  other  subjects,  had  not  mentioned  the 
name  of  the  maiden  whom  they  both  loved. 

In  due  time,  Alec  was  enrolled  in  Mark's  com- 
pany, and  made  a  trusty,  brave  soldier. 

Meanwhile  the  great  war  went  on.  They  heard 
the  thunders  of  it  all  about  them,  and  frequentl}^ 
saw  the  blinding  flash,  and  were  buried  in  the 
sulphurous  smoke.  The  battle  of  Perryville, 
Kentuck}^,  was  fought  on  the  8th  and  9th  of  Octo- 
ber. Then  quickly  followed  Stuart's  raid  on 
Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  10th,  with  a 
battle  near  Richmond,  Kentucky.  The  armies  in 
the  East  were  moving  about  Richmond  and  Wash- 
ington, and  in  the  West  about  Vicksburg.  The 
combats  "were  many  and  terrible;  but  as  yet  the 
Southern  troops  seemed  on  the  whole  to  have  an 


THE  CONFLICT  IN  THE  CLOUDS.  339 

advantage,  and  they  threatened  to  invade  the 
Northern  States.  On  November  5th,  General  Mc- 
Clelland was  superseded  by  Burnside  as  comman- 
der in  Virginia.  The  same  day  the  Confederates 
were  repulsed  at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  Novem- 
ber was  noted  for  its  many  conflicts  especially  in 
the  South  and  West. 

December,  1862,  was  even  more  noted  for  its 
series  of  bloody  conflicts  than  the  preceding  month. 
It  ended  with  the  terrible  battle  of  Stone  River  or 
Murfreesboro  raging. 

January,  1863,  brought  the  emancipation  of  the 
slaves,  and  the  end  of  the  battle  of  Stone  River  in 
favor  of  the  United  States  troops.  The  remainder 
of  the  month  was  taken  up  with  fighting  and 
blockading.  In  fact,  the  year  of  1863  was  a  year 
of  decisive  battles,  and  the  historian  and  reader 
becomes  sick  of  the  horrible  details.  The  Fourth 
of  July,  1863,  may  be  regarded  as  the  turning 
point  in  the  war  for  the  Union.  On  this  day, 
Vicksburg  surrendered  to  General  Grant,  after  a 
siege  of  forty -one  days.  On  the  same  day,  Major- 
General  Benjamin  M.  Prentiss,  at  Helena,  Arkan- 
sas, set  a  trap  for  a  rebel  army  five  times  as  large 
as  his  own  and  drew  them  into  it.  He  gained  a 
wonderful  victory,  and  perhaps  against  greater 
odds  than  any  Union  general  during  the  war. 
Four  days  later,  Port  Hudson  with  seven  thousand 


340 


UNION. 


men,  surrendered  to  General  Banks.  On  the  13th 
of  this  month,  there  was  a  great  riot  in  New  York 
city  brought  about  by  the  threatened  draft. 

The  greatest  battle  of  the  war  was  fought  on 
July  3,  1863.  This  was  the  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania,  where  General 
Meade  with  a  little  over  one 
hundred  thousand  men  fought 
General  Robert  E.  Lee  with 
almost  as  many.  This  was  the 
greatest  battle  of  the  war  in 
many  respects.  It  was  fought 
in  a  loyal  State.  Lee  had  left 
his  own  territory  and  invaded 
the  enemy's  country.  It  was 
the  battle  in  which  there  were 
the  largest  number  of  men  engaged  on  either  side, 
and  the  battle  in  which  Lee  was  defeated  when  his 
own  numbers  were  almost  as  great  as  the  Union 
forces.  Lee  was  defeated  and  forced  to  retreat 
from  Pennsylvania. 

In  August,  General  Gillmore,  having  invested 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  bombarded  Fort  Sum- 
ter most  of  the  month.  On  the  19th  and  20th  of 
September  was  fought  the  terrible  battle  of  Cliicka- 
mauga,  in  which  the  Union  forces,  some  fifty  or 
sixty  thousand  strong,  were  defeated,  by  Bragg 
with  forty-five  thousand  men.     The  Federal  loss 


GEN.  GEORGE  G.  MEADE. 


THE  COyPLICT  IN  THE  CLOUDS.  341 

was  about  fifteen  thousand,  yet  they  prevented 
Bragg  from  capturing  Chattanooga.  On  October 
16th  General  Grant  took  command  of  the  Western 
armies. 

Shortly  after  the  battle  of  Corinth,  Colonel 
Belcher's  regiment  was  assigned  to  Sherman's 
division  and  served  under  that  general  to  the  end 
of  the  war.  As  soon  as  Grant  heard  of  Rosecrans' 
disaster  at  Chickamauga,  he  ordered  Sherman  on 
the  Black  River,  twenty  miles  east  of  Vicksburg, 
to  send  a  division  to  his  aid.  Sherman  received 
this  dispatch  on  the  22d  of  September,  and  at  four 
o'clock  that  day,  Osterhaus  with  his  division  was 
on  his  way  to  Yicksburg,  and  the  next  day  was 
steaming  toward  Memphis.  On  the  23d,  Sherman 
was  ordered  to  follow  with  his  whole  army,  and 
he  pushed  forward  in  the  manner  which  his  judg- 
ment approved. 

In  the  mean  time.  Grant  was  getting  everything 
ready  for  his  arrival,  when  he  designed  to  make  a 
general  assault  on  the  enemy's  strong  position. 

Both  troops  and  animals  were  suffering  for  want 
of  provisions,  which  the  obstruction  of  transporta- 
tion rendered  extremely  scarce.  Missionary  Ridge 
drops  like  a  pendant  in  a  southwesterly  direction 
from  the  Tennessee  River  above  Chattanooga,  and 
Lookout  Mountain  in  the  same  direction  from  the 
river  below.     Chattanooga,  lying  in  a  bend  of  the 


343  UNION. 

river  between  the  two  mountains,  was  overlooked 
and  commanded  by  both  heights,  and  hence  both 
must  be  taken.  Hooker  was  selected  to  operate 
against  Lookout  Mountain ;  but  in  order  to  make 
a  lodgement  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  it  was 
necessary  to  occupy  Brown's  Ferry,  wliich  was 
three  miles  below  it  by  the  river,  and  six  miles 
from  Chattanooga,  yet,  owing  to  the  sharp  bend  of 
the  stream  that  here  runs  back  almost  parallel  to 
its  course,  was  only  half  a  mile  from  the  latter 
place  by  land.  The  possession  of  this  ferry  must 
also  lessen  the  distance  of  transportation  to  Bridge- 
port. 

The  chief -engineer.  General  W.  F.  Smith,  pro- 
posed a  plan  for  seizing  it,  which  was  adopted. 
Four  thousand  men  were  at  once  placed  under  his 
command.  Fifty  pontoons,  capable  of  holding 
twenty-five  men  each,  besides  oarsmen,  and  also 
two  flatboats  for  carrying  about  a  hundred  more, 
were  built,  in  which  fifteen  hundred  picked  men, 
under  General  Hazen,  were  placed.  It  was  six 
miles  by  the  tortuous  river  to  the  ferry,  three 
miles  of  which  were  picketed  by  the  enemy.  On 
the  night  of  the  2Tth  of  October,  these  pontoons, 
mere  boxes,  were  quietly  pushed  off  and  floated 
noiselessly  down  the  current.  It  was  very  dark, 
and  the  current  rendering  oars  unnecessary,  they 
silently  glided  past  the  pickets  on  the  shore,  un- 


THE  CONFLICT  IN  THE  CLOUDS.  343 

heard  and  unseen.  Down,  around  Moccasin  Point, 
in  front  of  Lookout  Mountain,  they  rapidly  floated, 
without  being  observed. 

While  landing,  they  were  discovered,  and  soon 
the  flash  of  musketry  lit  up  the  darkness.  This 
roused  the  neighboring  camps  of  the  enemy;  but 
the  Union  troops  landed  and  quickly  formed  to 
repel  an  attack,  while  the  empty  boats  were 
swiftly  propelled  across  the  river  to  transfer  the 
remainder  of  the  four  thousand,  who.  had  secretly 
marched  thither  by  land.  These  having  been  fer- 
ried over,  a  strong  position  was  immediately  se- 
cured, and  entrencliments  were  thrown  up.  The 
enemy,  taken  wholly  by  surprise,  after  a  feeble 
resistance  retreated  up  the  valley.  The  materials 
for  a  pontoon  bridge,  which  had  also  been  brought 
by  land,  and  concealed,  were  now  brought  forth, 
and  by  noon  a  bridge,  nine  hundred  feet  long, 
spanned  the  river,  by  which  supplies  and  reinforce- 
ments could  be  forwarded  to  the  troops.  On  the 
following  day,  the  whole  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  was 
across,  and  encamped  in  Lookout  Valley.  The 
enemy,  alarmed  at  this  demonstration,  made  an 
attempt  to  drive  them  back  by  a  night  attack. 
This  conflict  was  by  moonlight,  after  midnight, 
amid  those  hills,  that  blazed  the  while  with  mus- 
ketry and  exploding  shells, — presenting  a  strange 
spectacle.      "  Fighting   Joe    Hooker, "   as    he    was 


344  UNIOX. 

termed,  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  conflict  encour- 
aging his  men. 

Tlie  Union  forces  maintained  their  ground,  and 
being  firmly  established,  steamboats  could  come 
up  to  Brown's  Ferry,  from  which  it  was  but  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  the  upper  bridge  opposite  Chat- 
tanooga. Unless  the  bridge  should  be  carried 
away  by  rafts  sent  down  the  stream  b}^  the  enemy 
from  above,  the  army  was  now  relieved  from  star- 
vation. 

Though  this  was  a  great  improvement  in  the 
condition  of  affairs.  Grant  felt  too  weak  to  assume 
the  offensive,  until  Sherman  should  arrive. 
Though  Sherman  crossed  the  Tennessee  on  the 
1st  of  November,  there  was  no  way  to  get  his 
army  over,  and  it  had  to  take  the  long  marcli 
by  Fayetteville  to  Bridge}iort.  On  the  loth, 
Sherman  rode  into  Chattanooga.  General  Grant 
was  never  more  pleased  to  see  a  man.  He  had 
received  a  summons  from  Bragg  to  remove  the 
non-combatants  from  Chattanooga,  as  he  was  about 
to  bombard  the  town,  to  which  he  had  made  no 
reply;  but  he  now  felt  that  with  his  strong  lieu- 
tenant he  would  be  able  to  meet  General  Bragg 
beyond  the  walls  of  the  city.  Sherman's  troops, 
after  their  long  and  wearisome  march,  were  sadly 
in  need  of  rest,  and  expected  it,  before  entering  on 
one  of  the  most  hazardous  undertakings  of  the  war. 


THE  CONFLICT  IN  THE  CLOUDS.  345 

With  a  part  of  his  command,  he  was  directed  to 
make  a  demonstration  on  Lookout  Mountain,  while 
with  the  main  army  he  crossed  the  river^  and 
marched  up  above  Chattanooga,  opposite  Mission- 
ary Eidge.  Eeturning  to  Bridgeport,  Sherman 
took  a  rowboat  and  passed  down  the  river  to  hurry 
forward  his  weary,  foot-sore  divisions.  Ewing's 
division  was  the  force  left  to  make  the  demonstra- 
tion on  Lookout  Mountain.  The  rest  were  hurried 
forward  along  almost  impassable  roads.  Though 
foot-sore,  weary  and  hungry,  the  troops  toiled 
cheerfully  on  in  obedience  to  the  orders  of  their 
commander,  and  by  the  23d  were  well  up,  and 
lav  concealed  behind  the  hills  opposite  Chicka- 
mauga  Creek,  which,  skirting  the  extremity  of  Mis- 
sionary Kidge,  here  emptied  into  the  Tennessee. 
One  division,  however,  was  left  behind — a  delay 
caused  by  the  breaking  of  a  pontoon  bridge  at 
Brown's  Ferry — and  it  was  compelled  to  join 
Hooker's  Corps,  and  operate  with  him  in  the  bat- 
tle that  followed. 

By  a  skilful  manoeuvi'e  the  same  night,  a  small 
force  was  silently  moved  along  the  river,  captur- 
ing every  guard  of  the  enemy's  pickets  but  one. 
Next  thing  was  to  get  the  army  across  the  Tennes- 
see, which  at  this  point  was  nearl}'  thirteen  hun- 
dred feet  wide.  About  three  miles  above  Sher- 
man's   army    was    a    stream    emptying    into    the 


346  UNION. 

Tennessee.  Thither  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
boats  were  conveyed  by  a  concealed  road  and 
launched ;  while  three  thousand  men  lay  ready  to 
embark  in  them.  An  hour  after  midnight,  on  the 
24th,  these  boats  floated  silently  down  into  the 
Tennessee,  and  passing  within  three  miles  of  the 
enem3'-'s  pickets,  landed  the  troops  on  both  sides 
of  Chickamauga  Creek,  which  emptied  into  the 
river  opposite  Sherman's  army.  Two  divisions 
with  artiller}"  were  soon  ferried  over,  and  a  tete- 
de-pont  established.  In  a  few  hours,  a  bridge 
fourteen  hundred  feet  long  was  completed,  and 
shaking  to  the  tread  of  Sherman's  mighty  columns. 
Another  bridge  two  hundred  feet  long  was  flung 
across  the  Chickamauga  Creek.  The  extreme 
north  point  of  Missionary  Eidge  was  not  occupied 
by  the  enemy, — his  right  wing  being  further  back, 
near  the  tunnel  through  which  the  railroad  passed. 
This  extremity,  Sherman  at  once  seized,  thereby 
threatening  Bragg's  communications.  In  the 
meantime,  a  cavalry  force  was  sent  off  eastward 
toward  Cleveland. 

Grant  now  had  Sherman's  army  above,  and 
Hooker's  below  him,  and  both  on  the  same  side  of 
the  river;  while  Thomas  lay  in  front  of  Chatta- 
nooga. Missionary  Ridge,  extending  southward 
from  Sherman,  passed  in  front  of  Chattanooga, 
where  the  centre  lay. 


THE  CONFLICT  IN  THE  CLOUDS.  347 

General  Bragg  was  amazed  at  the  appearance  of 
a  powerful  army  on  his  extreme  right,  and  imme- 
diately made  arrangements  to  dislodge  Sherman. 
In  the  mean  time,  Hooker,  from  below,  moved 
against  Lookout  Mountain,  and,  by  dark,  carried 
the  nose  of  it,  thus  opening  up  communications 
with  Chattanooga.  His  advance  up  the  steep  sides 
of  the  mountain  had  been  made  with  great  celerity 
and  skill.  A  thick  fog  for  awhile  concealed  him, 
but,  as  it  lifted  before  the  sun,  the  cliffs  above 
were  seen  crowded  with  the  enemy,  while  their 
cannoii  sent  a  plunging  fire  from  the  heights. 
Grant,  far  down  in  the  mist-shrouded  valley  below, 
could  hear  the  thunder  of  guns,  and  crash  of  mus- 
ketry high  up  in  the  clouds  above,  as  though  the 
gods  were  battling  there.  An  eye-witness  to  the 
scene  says  of  it: 

"  At  this  juncture,  the  scene  became  one  of 
most  exciting  interest.  The  thick  fog,  which  had 
heretofore  rested  in  dense  folds  upon  the  sides  of 
the  mountain,  concealing  the  combatants  from 
view,  suddenly  lifted  to  the  summit  of  the  lofty 
ridge,  revealing  to  the  anxious  gaze  of  thousands 
in  the  valleys  and  on  the  plains  below,  a  scene 
such  as  is  witnessed  but  once  in  a  century.  Gen- 
eral Geary's  columns,  flushed  with  victory,  grap- 
pled with  the  foe  upon  the  rocky  ledges,  and  drove 
them  back  with  slaughter  from  their  works.      While 


348  UNION. 

tlie  result  was  uncertain,  the  attention  was  breatli- 
less  and  painful ;  but  when  victory  perched  upon 
our  standards,  shout  upon  shout  rent  the  air.  The 
whole  army  with  one  accord,  broke  out  into  joy- 
ous acclamations.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  scene 
beggars  description.  Men  were  frantic  with  joy, 
and  even  General  Thomas  himself,  who  seldom 
exhibits  his  emotions,  involuntarily  said,  'I  did 
not  think  it  possible  for  men  to  accomplish  so 
much.'" 

Before  dawn,  on  the  25th,  Sherman  was  in  the 
saddle,  and  by  the  dim  light  which  streaked  the 
cloudy  east,  as  if  foretelling  a  stormy  day,  he  rode 
along  the  entire  line.  A  deep  valley  lay  between 
him  and  the  steep  hill  beyond,  which  was  partly 
covered  with  trees  to  the  narrow  wooded  top, 
across  which  was  a  breastwork  of  logs  and  earth, 
dark  with  men.  Two  guns  enfiladed  the  narrow 
way  that  led  to  it.  Further  back  arose  a  still 
higher  hill,  lined  with  guns  that  could  pour  a 
plunging  fire  on  the  first  hill  if  it  should  be  taken. 
The  depth  and  character  of  the  gorge  between 
could  not  be  ascertained.  Just  as  the  rising  sun 
was  tinging  with  red  the  murky  rain-clouds,  the 
bugles  sounded  the  advance,  and  Corse  taking  the 
lead,  briskly  descended  the  hill,  crossed  the  val- 
ley, and  under  a  heavy  fire  began  to  ascend  the 
opposite    heights,    and    soon    gained    a    foothold, 


li 


THE  CONFLICT  IN  THE  CLOUDS.  349 

though  the  spot  where  he  stood  was  swept  by  the 
enemy's  artillery. 

It  was  in  Sherman's  advanced  columns  that 
Belcher's  regiment  fought  that  day.  Mark  Stevens, 
with  his  footsore  and  weary  soldiers,  fatigued 
with  marches  and  midnight  reconnoissances,  were 
in  the  van.  Mark  was  cool,  and  his  soldiers  were 
all  veterans.  Sis  had  recovered  from  his  wound 
and  was  again  in  the  ranks.  Bill  Simms  was 
with  him.  Alec  was  near  his  captain  loading  and 
firing,  as  he  advanced,  at  his  former  friends. 

"  We  are  going  to  have  some  hot  work!"  said 
Alec,  during  a  brief  lull  in  the  attack,  as  they 
paused  behind  a  large  oak  tree. 

"  Alec,  do  you  believe  in  impressions?"  asked 
Mark. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  Alec  asked  fixing  his 
eyes  on  the  face  of  his  cousin^  "  Now  look  here, 
Mark,  for  Heaven's  sake  don't  go  to  making  out 
that  you  are  expecting  something  bad. " 

"  Alec,  I  have  passed  through  many  conflicts 
without  a  scratch,  but  never  have  I  before  felt  as 
I  do  now,  and  have  felt,  ever  since  we  commenced 
the  march  on  Missionary  Ridge.  If  I  should  be 
slain,  all  m}'  effects,  my  money  and  a  letter  which 
you  will  find  addressed  to  my  mother  are  in  the 
pocket  of  my  coat.  You  will  also  find  a  letter 
addressed  to  Elsie  Cole,  please  send  it  to  her." 


350  UNION. 

"  Do  you  know  where  she  is?" 

"  No. " 

Before  more  could  be  said,  the  order  was  given 
to  advance  and  the  great  battle  opened.  For  more 
than  an  hour  it  swayed  back  and  forth  in  Sher- 
man's front.  Bringing  up  brigade  after  bi'igade, 
this  galkmt  commander  nobly  strove  to  carry  the 
lofty  heights  above  him.  By  ten  o'clock,  it  was 
one  peal  of  thunder  from  top  to  base,  while  tlie 
smoke,  in  swift  puffs  and  floating  masses,  draped 
it  like  a  waving  mantle.  Corse,  severely 
wounded,  was  borne  to  the  rear,  but  the  columns 
still  stubbornly  held  their  ground.  At  this  point 
the  battle  raged  furiously  all  forenoon.  This  most 
northern  and  vital  position  must  be  held  by  the 
rebels  at  all  hazards,  for  if  once  taken,  their  rear 
and  all  their  stores  at  Chickamauga  would  be  threat- 
ened. So  here  Bragg  massed  his  forces,  and  at 
three  o'clock  p.m.  was  hurling  column  after  col- 
umn upon  Sherman's  advance,  while  gun  after 
gun  poured  its  concentrated  fire  on  them  from 
every  hill  and  spur  that  gave  a  view  of  any  part 
of  the  ground.  Once  the  Union  lines  were  par- 
tially forced  back;  but  Sherman,  by  a  skilful  move, 
recovered  his  lost  ground,  and  drove  the  enemy  to 
cover.  His  men  were  sternly  held  to  their  terrible 
work;  but  Sherman  was  growing  impatient  for 
Grant  to  move  on  the  centre,  as  he  had  promised 


THE  CONFLICT  IN  THE  CLOUDS.  351 

on  the  night  before  that  he  would.  From  his  ele- 
vated position,  he  could  see  the  flags  of  Thomas' 
corps  waving  in  the  murky  atmosphere,  but  hour 
after  hour  passed  away,  and  still  they  did  not  ad- 
vance. The  enemy  was  still  steadily  massing  his 
forces  against  Sherman,  and  his  troops  having 
fought  from  early  dawn  were  almost  exhausted. 

For  hours  Grant  sat  on  his  horse,  listening  to 
the  thunder  of  artillery  on  his  right,  as  Hooker 
came  down  like  an  avalanche  from  the  heights  of 
Lookout  Mountain,  and  the  deafening  uproar  on 
his  left,  where  Sherman,  his  favorite  lieutenant, 
was  hurling  his  brave  columns  on  the  batteries  of 
the  enemy,  and  still  he  moved  not.  Thinking  at 
one  time  that  Sherman  was  too  hard  pressed,  he 
sent  a  brigade  to  his  relief;  but  Sherman,  who  had 
become  thoroughly  aroused  at  the  resistance  he 
was  meeting,  sent  it  back  saying  that  he  did  not 
need  it.  And  so,  hour  after  hour,  for  six  miles 
the  battle  flamed  and  thundered  along  the  rocky 
crests,  until,  at  last,  the  decisive  moment  looked 
for  by  Grant  had  arrived. 

Thomas'  corps  was  moving  on  the  acclivity  four 
hundred  feet  high  in  front.  Upward,  step  by 
step,  the  irrepressible  Thomas  pressed  his  way. 
Bragg  displayed  wonderful  generalship.  He  was 
confronted  by  Grant,  Hooker.  Sherman  and 
Thomas,  with  forces  vastly  superior  to  his  own, 


353  UNION. 

and  yet  held  his  post  with  great  fortitude  and 
bravery,  until  overpowered  by  odds  and  driven 
from  the  field. 

It  was  in  the  last  charge  up  the  heights  of  Mis- 
sionary Kidge,  that  Mark  pressed  forward  in  the 
extreme  advance  with  Alec,  Sis,  and  Bill  Simms 
at  his  side.  The  enemy  were  but  a  few  feet  away. 
He  saw  Sis  and  a  Confederate  both  fire  at  each 
other  at  the  same  moment  not  ten  paces  apart,  and 
both  missed.  Sis  began  to  reload  as  he  advanced, 
and  the  Confederate  did  the  same.  As  Sis  had  to 
climb  up  the  steep  and  rocky  acclivity,  he  dis- 
covered that  the  Confederate  would  get  loaded  first. 
The  rebel  was  already  feeling  for  his  cap,  when 
Sis  suddenly  bounded  forward,  and  with  the  butt 
of  his  gun  knocked  him  down,  fracturing  his  skull 
so  that  he  died  from  the  effects  of  the  blow.  They 
were  soon  so  close  that  bayonets  were  used,  then 
the  sickening  horrors  of  war  were  fully  realized. 
One  man  went  down  with  two  bayonets  through 
his  body,  the  points  crossing  as  they  came  out  at 
his  back. 

Amid  all  the  uproar  and  excitement,  Mark  felt 
a  quick  and  sudden  pain  in  his  side,  a  mist  came 
before  his  eyes  and  his  head  swam.  Alec  saw 
him,  and  leaping  to  his  side  cried: 

"Mark,  Mark!" 

He  caught  him  in  his  arms  and  let  him  down 


.MAKK;  —  eilLMN  . — OLD   FRIEND,    HAS  IT   lO.ME    To    THIS 


THE  CONFLICT  IN   THE  CLOUDS.  353 

easily.  The  captain  closed  his  eyes,  Alec  glanced 
to  the  West.  The  sun  was  setting  and  the  Con- 
federates, broken  and  defeated  at  every  point,  were 
flying  from  the  victorious  Union  arm}*.  With 
tears  in  his  eyes,  the  kind-hearted  Alec  turned  his 
anxious  gaze  upon  his  captain  lying  on  the  ground 
as  peaceful  as  if  asleep,  and  said : 

"Mark! — cousin! — old  friend,   has  it  come   at 
last?" 

23 


CHAPTER   XYn. 

AN     ETHER     FANTASY. 

When  Mark  Stevens  awoke,  almost  a  week  after 
the  fight  on  Missionary  Ridge,  he  was  lying  in  a 
hospital  with  Alec  at  his  side.  He  never  forgot 
how  that  friend  bent  over  him  with  tears  of  joy, 
and  said : 

"  Tiiank  God,  you  are  better, — yes,  thank  God, 
you  won't  die." 

"  How  long  have  I  been  here?"  he  feebly  asked. 

"A  week." 

"  A  whole  week?" 

"  Yes,  you  are  very  weak.  You  almost  bled  to 
death." 

"  Were  you  wounded,  Alec?" 

"  No.  I  took  you  in  my  arms  and  ran  down 
that  accursed  hill,  which  I  believe  was  bloody 
from  top  to  bottom.  I  got  detached  to  watch  over 
you.  Mark,  Colonel  Belcher  is  dead,  and  there  is 
talk  of " 

Mark  shook  his  head.  He  felt  that  this  was  no 
time  to  talk  of  promotion.  He  was  weak,  very 
354 


AN  ETHER  FANTASY.  355 

weak,-  but  the  surgeon  came  along  and,  with  an 
encouraging  smile,  said : 

"  You  are  better,  my  boy,  but  you  must  keep 
very  quiet,  for  you  have  no  strength  to  spare. " 

By  a  nod  of  his  head,  Mark  intimated  his  will- 
ingness to  submit  to  hospital  regulations.  Days 
wore  on  and  Mark  grew  stronger,  though  the  bullet 
was  still  in  his  side.  At  times  it  pained  him,  so 
that  he  wished  that  the  surgeons  had  cut  it  out 
before  he  recovered  consciousness.  He  soon  be- 
came convinced  that  the  operation  would  yet  have 
to  be  performed,  before  he  would  fully  recover. 
He  talked  with  Alec  about  it  one  day,  and  he  said 
he  had  heard  the  surgeon  major  say  as  much  him- 
self;  so  that  Mark  began  to  realize  that  some  time 
in  the  future  he  would  have  to  submit  to  the  opera- 
tion. Though  he  shuddered  with  dread  at  the 
thought,  he  was  glad  to  know  that  he  would  be 
relieved  of  the  burden,  which  was  becoming  op- 
pressive to  him. 

It  seemed  like  a  dream,  yet  it  was  a  reality, — 
that  story  he  heard  of  a  woman,  young  and  fair, 
who  had  suddenly  appeared  like  an  angel  of  mercy 
on  the  field,  and  in  the  hospital,  ministering  to  the 
wants  of  the  wounded.  Another  Miss  Dix  had 
come,  and  all  Chattanooga  rang  with  her  praise. 
She  was  kind  and  gentle  alike  to  Confederate  and 
Federal.     Many  a  hero  in  blue  or  gray,  blessed 


356  UNION. 

her  name  with  his  dying  breath.  The  Women's 
Central  Association  for  Relief,  the  United  States 
Sanitary  Commission,  and  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations,  were  all  doing  good  and  noble  work, 
but  all  these  were  not  enough. 

There  were  many  evidences  of  individual  hero- 
ism and  exertion  in  relieving  the  sick  and  wounded. 
Scarce  had  the  smoke  of  battle  rolled  away  from 
about  Missionary  Ridge  and  Lookout  Mountain, 
when  there  came  from  some  place,  no  one  knew 
where,  one  of  the  fairest  of  Columbia's  daughters. 
Her  sole  mission  was  to  do  good,  and  her  soft, 
tender  hands  soothed  many  a  fevered  brow,  or 
bound  up  many  a  painful  wound. 

But  she  was  searching  for  some  one.  General 
Sherman,  who  met  her  one  day,  ascertained  that 
she  was  searching  for  a  missing  friend. 

"  Is  he  among  the  Federal  troops  or  rebels  ? " 
asked  Sherman. 

"He  is  a  Federal,"  she  answered.  As  she 
did  not  give  his  name,  Sherman  could  not  help 
her. 

She  found  him  at  last.  It  came  about  through 
Alec.  He  had  gone  from  the  side  of  his  wounded 
captain  for  a  few  moments  to  get  a  few  whiffs 
of  fresh  air,  with  which,  in  spite  of  all  the  power- 
ful disinfectants,  modern  science  cannot  fully  sup- 
ply  a  hospital.      Alec  was  walking  slowly  down 


AN  ETHER  FANTASY.  357 

the  street,  reflecting  on  the  past,  the  present,  and 
trying  to  conjecture  as  to  the  future. 

"How  different — what  changes!"  he  was  think- 
ing. "  Who  knows  how  it  will  end?"  Then  he 
almost  ran  against  some  one.  He  stopped  and 
looked  at  the  some  one  in  astonishment,  for  he  saw 
a  pair  of  roguish  blue  eyes,  saddened  by  care  and 
grief,  a  wealth  of  golden  hair,  and  a  face  which 
had  never  failed  to  wonderfully  impress  him.  He 
bounded  forward,  and  caught  her  hand,  crying: 

"What!  Thunderation !— Old  Nick  and  Gen- 
eral Jackson!  Can  it  be?  By  the  Holy  Jumping 
Moses,  it  is!  Well,  may  I  be  teetotally  smashed, 
girl,  where  did  you  come  from?" 

"  Alec, — Alec  Stevens,  and  in  a  Yankee  uni- 
form!" 

"  Yes,  Elsie.  I've  turned  over.  I  was  a  little 
in  doubt  about  which  side  was  right  in  this  quar- 
rel, and  I've  fought  on  both  so  as  to  be  sure." 

Elsie's  face  wore  a  look  of  anxiet3^  She  had 
some  curiosity  to  know  Alec's  history;  but  her 
desire  to  know  the  fate  of  Mark  Stevens  was  far 
greater.  She  asked  Alec  about  his  cousin.  Yes, 
he  knew  where  he  was,  had,  in  fact,  just  come 
from  his  bedside.  He  was  a  captain  now,  and,  if 
he  survived  the  operation  of  cutting  a  ball  of  lead 
out  of  his  side,  he  might  be  a  colonel,  as  there  was 
a  vacancy.      Alec  would  show  her  to  the  hospital 


358  UNION. 

where  Captain  Stevens  was;  but  she  must  pass 
inspection  by  the  surgeon  major  before  she  would 
be  allowed  to  enter. 

She  had  met  the  surgeon  major,  who  knew 
something  of  the  noble,  self-sacrificing  lal)ors  of 
this  young  woman ;  but  the  old  major  was  a  good 
judge  of  human  nature,  and  readily  saw  that  the 
young  lady  had  something  more  than  a  general 
interest  in  the  wounded  captain.  He  held  quite  a 
lengthy  interview  with  her  before  he  decided  to 
admit  her  to  the  ward  where  the  wounded  captain 
lay. 

Even  then,  she  was  only  admitted  while  he  was 
under  the  influence  of  opiates,  or  sleeping,  so  that 
Mark  was  not  sure,  at  first,  that  the  sweet  musical 
voice  and  soothing  touch  were  not  only  the  pleasant 
vagaries  of  a  fevered  vision. 

Gradually  he  began  to  expect  this  sacred  pres- 
ence, and  when  he  began  to  recover,  felt  fears  that 
he  might  lose  it.  The  presence  grew  more  and 
more  tangible,  until  he  came  to  realize  that  she 
was  something  more  than  the  baseless  fabric  of  a 
dream.  When  he  was  able  to  be  propped  up  in 
bed,  she  sat  by  his  side  and  held  his  fevered  hand. 
They  did  not  talk  of  the  past  nor  the  future,  for 
they  were  forbidden  to  talk  at  all.  Sometimes  he 
asked  himself  how  she  had  come  there,  and  won- 
dered if  she  would  remain  until  all  was  over  one 


AN  ETHER  FANTASY.  359 

way  or  the  other.  She  had  relatives  somewhere, 
why  was  she  not  with  them?  She  did  not  speak 
of  them  to  him,  nor  was  he  at  liberty  to  ask  her 
any  questions.  Since  the  appearance  of  Elsie 
Cole,  Alec  did  not  come  near  the  hospital.  He 
returned  to  his  company,  though  he  frequently 
inquired  after  the  captain. 

Though  Mark  grew  stronger,  he  was  assured 
that  he  must  undergo  the  surgical  operation.  The 
bullet  must  be  removed,  and  the  sooner  it  was 
done,  after  he  was  strong  enough  to  stand  the 
operation,  the  better.  He  became  able  to  sit  up, 
and  even  walk  about  the  room,  and  it  seemed  too 
bad  to  be  cut  and  hacked  to  pieces  by  those  sci- 
entific butchers. 

Mark  asked  himself  if  he  would  have  the  nerve 
to  face  the  ordeal  coolly.  Any  man,  who  is  not  a 
poltroon,  can  find  courage  to  fight  when  he  is  in 
danger,  and  excited,  but  a  surgical  operation,  with 
all  its  calm,  ghastly  preparations,  is  another  mat- 
ter. To  get  on  a  table,  lie  down  and  take  ether 
or  chloroform,  with  the  knowledge  that  one  is  to 
be  carved,  and  aware  that  he  has  an  even  chance 
of  never  waking  up  again,  calls  for  a  pluck  of  a 
different  order.  At  least,  Mark  thought  so,  and 
suffered  from  a  secret  fear  that  he  might  make  a 
humiliating  exhibition  of  himself. 

Like  one  doomed  to  execution,   the  conscious- 


360  UNION. 

ness  that  it  had  to  be  endowed  him  with  self-con- 
trol. And  like  a  man  who  is  going  to  be  hanged, 
he  was  anxious  to  have  it  over,  and  hastened 
things  by  helping  the  doctors  to  move  and  arrange 
the  tables.  He  even  rebuked  one  of  the  surgeons 
quite  severely,  who  was  rather  late  in  coming. 

"  Thank  God!"  he  mentally  ejaculated  between 
commands  and  queries  as  he  lay  stretched  on  his 
back  with  the  ether  funnel  over  his  mouth  and 
nostrils.  At  last  the  cursed  thing  that  had  made 
his  life  a  load  was  to  be  put  to  the  sword.  The 
thing  was  personified  to  his  mind,  at  that  moment, 
as  a  personal  enemy,  and  the  thought  that  if  he 
lived  it  must  perish  gave  him  a  glow  of  revenge- 
ful satisfaction. 

That  first  inhalation  of  ether  went  into  his  lungs 
like  peppermint,  and  brought  on  a  fit  of  coughing. 
After  the  third  or  fourth  whiff,  he  squeezed  the 
physician's  hand,  and  experienced  a  desire  to  sit 
up  and  propose  ether  all  round. 

"  Doctor, "  he  said  from  under  the  paper  cone, 
"  this  is  delightful ;  it's  as  good  as  champagne. " 

"  Whir,  whir,  whir-r. " 

"Heavens!  doctor,  this  is  most  extraordinary. 
Here,  here,  here!  This  won't  do  at  all!"  "  Tap- 
tap-tap-tap!"  "Why,  confound  you,  I'll  knock 
your  head  off!"  "  B'rr  b'rr  b'rr !  Whir,  whir, 
whir-r-r-rip!"      "Let    go,    you    scoundrel!     You 


AN  ETHER  FANTASY.  361 

won't?  Murder  me,  would  you?"  "  B'rr,  b'rr, 
b'rr!"      "Ha,  ha,  ha,  ha!" 

He  came  to  consciousness  in  his  coffin.  The 
darkness  was  black  and  so  thick  that  to  breathe  it 
stifled  him.  The  weight  of  six  feet  of  earth 
pressed  upon  his  breast.  Although  the  coffin  lid 
was  really  between  him  and  this  mass,  he  panted 
under  its  crushing  pressure.  The  sweat  burst 
coldly  through  his  skin,  the  blood  rushed  into  his 
brain,  and  it  oozed  from  his  eyes  and  ears.  Each 
hair  tingled  to  its  very  end.  He  felt  in  an  instant 
that  he  should  go  mad  and  lay  there  in  his  rayless 
prison  shrieking,  foaming  and  gnashing  his  teeth, 
but  was  held  from  movement  by  the  walls  of  wood 
and  earth.  If  he  could  turn  and  try  to  lift  the  lid 
and  the  filled  grave  with  his  back,  perhaps  there 
might  be  one  chance  in  a  million  that  the  frenzied 
strength  of  despair  would  prevail. 

Turn !  He  might  as  well  attempt  to  fly.  The 
lid  was  within  an  inch  of  his  chest — his  chin 
touched  it.  His  hands  were  by  his  sides  and  there 
was  not  room  to  move  them.  His  fingers  and  toes 
answered  to  his  will,  and  he  could  roll  his  head 
from  side  to  side.      That  was  all. 

To  be  a  raving  maniac  in  a  bare,  stone  cell — 
that  would  be  freedom,  happiness;  but  this! 
Hissings  and  flashings  of  dazzling  light  within  his 
brain  warned  him.      It  was  better  to  lie  still  and 


362  UNION. 

die  by  suffocation,  than  to  go  mad  and  perish  in  a 
hurricane  of  impotent  agony. 

It  would  soon  be  over.  The  air  in  the  coffin, 
ah'eady  hot,  humid  and  sickening  with  the  odors 
of  decay,  could  not  last  long.  So  he  composed 
himself,  closed  his  eyes,  and  all  his  consciousness 
was  centred  in  the  one  purpose  of  keeping  an  iron 
clutch  upon  his  will.  Every  other  thought, 
whether  of  life  or  death,  self,  or  those  he  loved,  he 
held  at  bay. 

There  darted  out  of  his  memory  a  long,  tun- 
nel-like hall  of  stone,  in  which  he  had  once  sat 
grieving  for  a  friend.  It  was  very  dark — dark  as 
this  grave  in  which  he  lay  manacled,  shackled  and 
gnashing  his  teeth  until  they  cracked.  This  tun- 
nel-like hall  was  in  the  cemetery  where  he  was 
buried.  While  he  sat,  his  elbow  on  a  little, 
wooden  table  and  his  head  bowed  upon  his  hand, 
far  away  at  the  end  of  the  strange  tunnel,  a  bright 
blue  electric  spark  appeared,  for  an  instant,  like  a 
minute  star,  and  then  came  a  faint  ringing. 
Twice  this  flash  and  sound  were  repeated,  and 
then  all  was  as  before,  dark,  damp,  silent  and  sad. 

In  his  coffin  he  understood,  and  a  torrent  of 
horror  swept  over  him.  His  friend  had  been 
buried  alive,  and  had  sent  this  appeal  from  the 
tomb  for  succor.  And  he  had  sat  there  dumb  and 
motionless,  while  the  one  whom  he  loved   had  lain 


I 


AN  ETHER  FANTASY.  363 

and  faced  an  awful  death  such  as  he  was  facing 
now;  had  gone  through  this  ordeal,  which  no  one 
can  understand,  until  he  has  endured  it!  Oh, 
horrible!  horrible! 

He  beat  his  temples  on  the  coffin's  sides  in  an 
ecstasy  of  remorse.  Such  dulness  destined  him 
thus  to  die.  Some  one  should  always  be  on  the 
watch  in  that  cavern  read}'  to  spring  to  the  rescue 
of  such  poor  buried  wretches  as  touched  the  bell 
coi-d,  with  which,  he  now  remembered,  every  coffin 
was  provided. 

There  was  hope  then.  They  could  dig  him  out 
before  life  was  wholly  gone. 

He  knew  where  the  cord  was, — just  under  the 
lid,  above  his  left  shoulder.  He  could  not  raise 
his  hands  to  it,  and  his  head  was  beyond  it ;  but 
he  thought  he  might  raise  his  shoulder  and  press 
it  against  the  knotted  end  of  the  cord,  so  as  to 
pull  it  and  ring  the  bell.  Of  course  it  would  be 
easy  enough.  Those  who  arranged  such  matters 
knew  what  they  were  about. 

He  raised  his  .shoulder. 

The  knotted  cord,  his  only  hope  of  life,  was  be- 
yond his  reach. 

He  must  go  mad.  Life  was  within  two  inches 
of  him,  and  he  unable  to  reach  it.  If  he  could 
turn,  his  right  shoulder  in  coming  in  contact  with 
the  knotted   cord,  would  certainly  pull   it   down- 


364 


UNION. 


ward  and  so  ring  the  bell.  But  turning  was  im- 
possible. 

No,  it  was  not  impossible.  He  would  turn  if 
it  broke  every  bone  in  liis  body  to  splinters. 

The    lid — oh,  curse   that   lid,    with    a    world's 


Then  a  warm,  soft,  loving  hand  took  his. 


weight  upon  it,  it  was  as  immovable  as  a  moun- 
tain! A  living  demon  must  be  holding  it  against 
his  shoulder  to  keep  him  from  rubbing  the  cord 
which  would  ring  away  the  darkness,  the  torture, 
and  the  grave.     Forty  men  could  not,  all  together, 


AN  ETHER  FANTASY.  365 

possess  the  splendid,  furious  strengtli  with  which 
he  steadily,  surely  turned.  Crack,  bones!  Bleed, 
flesh!  Roar,  thunder!  flash,  lightning!  Heavens! 
can  it  be 

"Well,  sir,  how  are  you  feeling?" 

"  Hello,  doctor!     Haven't  you  begun  the " 

"It's  all  over,  my  boy,  and  as  pretty  a  job  as  I 
ever  did  in  my  life. " 

Then  a  warm,  soft,  loving  hand  took  his.  The 
mists  gathered,  but  through  them  dimlv  he  saw 
her  face,  and  sank  into  a  sweet,  painless  slumber. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

"  I    HAVE    A   WIFE. '" 

The  recovery  of  Mark  Stevens  was  rapid.  The 
bullet,  wliich  had  been  the  thorn  in  his  side,  and 
the  great  hindrance  to  his  recovery,  being  removed, 
his  youth,  strong  constitution,  and  everything  now 
was  in  his  favor.  During  all  that  critical  period 
in  his  illness,  Elsie  hovered  over  hira,  like  an 
angel  of  mercy  and  love. 

They  spoke  of  neither  the  past  nor  the  future. 
•  They  talked  of  the  present  only,  when  they  talked 
at  all,  which  was  seldom.  Theirs  was  a  silent  de- 
votion, and  he  was  never  happier  than  when  she 
was  at  his  side,  holding  his  thin,  wasted  hand  in 
hers;  but  he  instinctively  realized  that  this  could 
not  last  always.  She  must  go  away.  Elsie  was 
like  the  angels.  They  approach  nearer  when 
comes  the  grim  monster  death,  and  recede  with  re- 
turning health.  When  he  had  recovered,  she  was 
gone;  he  knew  not  whither,  nor  could  any  one 
inform  him.  She  had  last  been  seen  about  the 
hospitals,  flitting  here  and  there,  a  ray  of  sunshine 
366 


"I  HA VE  A  WIFE. ' '  367 

wherever  she  went.  Then  she  disappeared  as 
completely  as  if  she  had  melted  into  air.  On 
returning  to  his  headquarters,  he  found  Alec,  and 
asked  him  whither  she  had  gone. 

"  I  don't  know,"  the  soldier  answered,  rubbing 
away  on  his  gun  barrel,  which  he  was  brightening. 

"  Did  she  tell  you  she  was  going.  Alec?" 

"No." 

Alec  seemed  averse  to  talking  on  the  subject, 
and  Mark  asked  him  no  more  questions  about 
her. 

"  She  is  gone, "  thought  Mark.  "  Perhaps  it 
were  better  if  we  never  saw  each  other  again.  In 
time  I  might  forget  her.  No, — no,  I  could  never 
do  that, — though  I  will  not  allow  myself  to  believe 
that  Elsie  Cole  loves  me.  She  feels  grateful,  be- 
cause I  saved  her  life ;  but  she  has  surely  repaid 
the  debt  with  interest.  " 

Mark  was  soon  able  to  assume  command  of  his 
company,  and  a  part  of  the  time  commanded  the 
regiment.  After  the  severe  struggle  at  Missionary 
Ridge  and  Lookout  Mountain,  a  short  season  of 
rest  was  granted  the  regiment. 

There  was  no  slackening  in  the  war,  however. 
It  raged  in  North  Carolina,  where  General  J.  F. 
Foster,  quartered  at  New  Berne,  was  sending  out 
raiding  parties  to  scatter  Confederate  forces  gather- 
ing here  and  there  to  recover  the  lost  posts  in  that 


368  UNION. 

State.  Althougli  Charleston  had  become  a  com- 
paratively unimportant  point  in  the  grand  theatre 
of  war,  its  possession  was  coveted  by  the  national 
government  because  of  the  salutary  effect  it  would 
produce.  General  Quincy  A.  Gillmore,  who  suc- 
ceeded General  Hunter  in  the  command  of  the 
Southern  department,  planned  an  expedition  against 
Charleston  by  land  and  water.  After  a  futile 
effort  to  capture  Fort  Wagner,  he  began  a  regular 
siege.  With  infinite  labor,  a  battery  was  con- 
structed in  a  morass,  half-way  between  Morris  and 
James  Islands,  upon  a  platform  of  heavy  timbers 
standing  in  the  deep  black  mud.  When  a  lieu- 
tenant of  engineers  was  ordered  to  construct  it,  he 
declared : 

"  It  is  impossible. "  His  commanding  officer 
replied : 

"  There  is  no  such  word  as  impossible ;  call  for 
what  you  need." 

Whereupon  the  lieutenant,  who  was  a  wag, 
made  a  requisition  on  the  quartermaster  for  "  one 
hundred  men,  eighteen  feet  high,  to  wade  in  mud 
sixteen  feet  deep;"  and  he  gravely  inquired  of  the 
engineer  if  these  men  might  not  be  spliced  if  re- 
quired. The  lieutenant  was  arrested  for  contempt, 
but  soon  after  released ;  when  he  built  the  redoubt 
with  the  services  of  men  of  ordinary  height.  Upon 
the  redoubt  was  erected  a  Parrott  gun,  which  they 


I 


"I  HAVE  A  WIFE.''  369 

called  "  The  Swamp  Angel,"  tLat  sent  shells  into 
Charleston,  five  miles  away. 

General  Gillmore  was  ready  for  another  attack 
on  Forts  Wagner  and  Sumter,  on  the  17th  of 
August,  and  on  that  day  the  guns  of  twelve  bat- 
teries and  of  the  fleet  opened  upon  them.  Be- 
fore night  the  walls  of  Sumter  began  to  crum- 
ble, and  its  cannon,  under  the  pressure  of  Dahl- 
gren's  guns,  ceased  to  roar.  The  land  troops 
pushed  their  parallels  nearer  and  nearer  to  Fort 
Wagner;  while  the  fleet  continually  pounded 
away,  day  after  day,  until  the  6th  of  September, 
when  General  Terry  was  prepared  to  storm  the 
latter  work.  Then  it  was  ascertained  that  the 
Confederates  had  evacuated  it,  and  fled  from 
Morris  Island.  Gillmore  took  possession  of  Fort 
Wagner,  and  turned  its  guns  on  Fort  Sumter,  bat- 
tering it  terribly,  and,  it  was  thought,  driving  away 
the  garrison  ;  but  when  a  force  in  boats  attempted 
to  seize  the  fort,  they  found  a  strong  force  there, 
which  repulsed  them  with  heavy  loss.  Late  in 
October  (1863),  Gillmore  brought  his  heaviest  guns 
to  bear  on  Sumter  and  reduced  it  to  a  heap  of  ruins. 
As  a  commercial  mart,  Charleston  now  had  no  exist- 
ence. For  months,  not  a  blockade  runner  had  en- 
tered its  harbor.  Wealth  and  trade  had  departed. 
The  first  city  to  strike  at  the  flag  of  the  Union  had 
paid  in  fire,  tears  and  blood,  for  the  great  wrong. 
24 


370  UNION. 

In  the  West  and  Southwest,  the  war  was  on  the 
decline.  The  Confederates  reoccupied  all  Texas 
in  1863,  and  carried  on  a  sort  of  guerilla  warfare 
in  Arkansas  during  most  of  that  year.  On  the 
20th  of  April,  1863,  Marmaduke,  the  Confederate 
general,  fought  a  strong  Union  force  at  Cape 
Girardeau,  and  was  defeated  and  driven  out  of  the 
State. 

General  Banks,  from  his  Red  River  expedition, 
marched  to  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson,  and  General 
Taylor,  the  Confederate,  for  awhile  overran 
Louisiana  and  Texas;  but  the  middle  of  July 
witnessed  the  fall  of  Port  Hudson,  and  then  Banks 
expelled  the  meddlesome  Taylor  from  the  country 
eastward  of  the  Atchafalaya.  This  was  the  last 
struggle  of  Taylor's  forces  to  gain  a  foothold  on 
the  Mississippi. 

At  the  opening  of  the  third  year  of  the  civil 
war,  1864,  there  were  many  hopeful  signs  of  suc- 
cess for  the  defenders  of  the  life  of  the  republic. 
Though  the  national  debt  exceeded  a  billion  dol- 
lars, the  public  credit  was  never  better.  Loyal 
people  stood  for  the  government  and  trusted  it 
with  a  faith  that  was  sublime.  Those  who  trusted 
the  government  in  its  hour  of  adversity,  made 
money.  Many  a  man  in  but  moderate  circum- 
stances in  1861,  was  a  millionaire  in  1871.  The 
Confederate  debt  was  almost  as  great  as  the  Na- 


"J  HAVE  A   WIFE.'  371 

tional  debt,  witli  a  prospective  increase  during  the 
year  likely  to  double  that  amount.  The  Con- 
federate government  had  contracted  loans  abroad, 
to  almost  115,000,000,  of  which  sum  the  South- 
ern Independence  Association  in  England  (composed 
chiefly  of  British  aristocracy)  loaned  a  large  share 
and  lost  it ;  the  security  offered  for  the  Confederate 
bonds  being  cotton  to  be  forwarded.  This  was 
never  delivered.  The  producers  of  the  Confed- 
eracy, better  informed  than  their  English  sympa- 
thizers, were  unwilling  to  trust  the  promises  of 
their  own  government,  and  withheld  supplies ;  for 
they  preconceived  the  worthlessness  of  the  bonds 
and  paper  currency  of  the  Confederates.  The 
people  in  the  South  were  no  longer  willing  to  vol- 
unteer for  the  military  service ;  and  Davis  and  his 
associates  at  Richmond,  in  their  desperation,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  exercise  of  a  despotic  act  which  has 
no  parallel  in  the  history  of  any  republic.  By 
the  passage  of  a  law  they  declared  every  ivhite  man 
in  the  Confederacy,  liable  to  bear  arms,  to  be  in  the 
military  service  ;  and  that,  upon  his  failure  to  report 
for  duty  at  a  military  station  within  a  certain  time, 
he  was  liable  to  the  penalty  of  death  for  a  deserter ! 
While  the  authorities  at  Richmond  were  prepar- 
ing to  carry  out  these  measures,  they  received  a 
dispatch  from  Lord  John  Russell,  the  British  For- 
eign Secretary,  which  deprived  them  of  the  last 


372  UNION. 

prop  of  liope  for  the  recognition  of  the  indepen- 
dence of  the  Confederate  States  from  any  foreign 
State,  excepting  that  of  the  Roman  Pontiff.  That 
dispatch  gave  notice  that  no  more  vessels  should 
be  fitted  out  in  Great  Britain  (nor  tolerated  in 
British  waters)  for  depredating  on  the  commerce 
of  the  United  States  by  the  "  so  called  Confederate 
States."  The  last  expression,  ignoring  the  very 
existence  of  the  Confederacy,  was  significant  and 
offensive  to  the  heads  of  the  government.  Davis 
made  a  sharp  reply  protesting  against  the  "studied 
insult;"  and  from  this  time  on  to  the  end,  the 
Southern  Confederacy  felt  that  England  coi^ld  no 
longer  be  looked  upon  as  a  trusted  friend. 

France,  in  the  last  year  of  the  war,  took  advan- 
tage of  the  distracted  condition  of  the  country  to 
violate  the  })rinciples  of  the  Monroe  Doctrine  sacred 
to  every  American;  and,  by  the  establishment  of 
Maximilian  as  emperor  of  Mexico,  overthrew  a 
republic  and  set  up  an  empire  on  the  Western  con- 
tinent; but  the  ambitious  Napoleon  III.  brought 
ruin  upon  Maximilian  and  himself. 

Early  in  1804,  in  order  to  more  completely 
unify  the  army.  Congress  created  the  office  of 
Lieutenant-General,  and  Ulysses  S.  Grant  was 
nominated  to  fill  the  office.  He  became  general- 
in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the  Republic,  and  fixed 
liis  headcpiarters  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 


11 


"J  HAVE  A  WIFE."  373 

In  the  Southwest,  Sherman  was  making  war 
terrible.  The  destruction  of  public  and  private 
property  was  enormous,  and  can  only  be  excused 
on  the  ground  that  it  was  necessary  to  conquer  so 
stubborn  an  enemy  as  the  South.  Nevertheless 
the  Christian  must  admit  there  was  little  of  the 
humane  or  Christian  about  it.  There  is  nothing 
humane  or  Christ-like  in  war.  No])ublic  property 
of  the  Confederates  was  spared,  and  in  many  in- 
stances private  houses  were  burned.  The  station 
houses  and  rolling-stock  of  the  railroads  were  re- 
duced to  ashes.  The  tracks  were  torn  up,  and  the 
rails,  heated  by  burning  ties  cast  into  heaps,  were 
twisted  and  ruined,  and  by  bending  them,  while 
red  hot,  around  a  sapling,  converted  into  what  the 
men  called  "Jeff  Davis  neck-ties."  General  Sher- 
man intended  to  push  on  to  Montgomery,  Ala- 
bama, and  then,  if  circumstances  appeared  favora- 
ble, to  go  southward  and  attack  Mobile. 

In  May,  1864,  General  John  Morgan,  a  daring 
Confederate  cavalryman,  who  had  been  a  terror  to 
Kentucky,  Ohio,  and  Indiana,  was  driven  out  of 
Kentucky  into  East  Tennessee,  where  he  was  sur- 
prised at  Greeneville  and  shot  dead  in  a  vineyard, 
while  trying  to  escape. 

General  Robert  E.  Lee  was  the  master  soldier  of 
the  war.  Though  an  enemy  to  his  countr}'  and 
Qurs,  though  an  enemy  to  the  very  nation  his  noble 


374 


UNION. 


Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee. 


ancestors  bad  helped  build,  and  though  his  crimes 
cannot  be  condoned,  we  must  nevertheless  regard 
him  as  the  superior  military  genius  of  either  army. 
The  man,  who  came  nearest  being 
his  match,  was  General  Meade,  at 
Gettysburg.  For  fighting  and  re- 
treating, for  holding  together  a 
poorly  equipped  and  poorly  fed 
army,  for  skilful  flank  movements, 
for  fruitfulness  in  resources,  and 
all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  great 
military  genius,  Lee  rises  above 
any  man  in  either  the  northern  or 
southern  armies. 
When  General  Grant,  flushed  with  the  victories 
of  the  west,  took  up  his  headquarters  with  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  with  the  finest  army  ever 
on  American  soil,  great  things  were  expected,  nor 
was  the  public  disappointed ;  but  had  not  Grant 
possessed  inexhaustible  resources,  of  men,  money, 
arms,  clothing  and  food,  his  bull-dog  tenacity 
would  have  proved  his  ruin. 

These  two  giants,  with  their  sjjlendid  corps  of 
officers,  first  met  in  the  Wilderness,  May  -f  and 
5,  1864,  when  the  long  stubborn  conflict  began. 
It  was  during  this  conflict  that  Grant  sent  his 
famous  dispatch  to  the  president:  '' I  propose  to 
fiijld    it    out   on   tl/is    line  if  it    takes  all  summer. ^^ 


i 


"7  HAVE  A  WIFE."  375 

General  Grant  had  an  army  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  thousand  men  under  such  lieutenants  as 
Sheridan  and  Custer,  Sedgwick,  Meade,  and 
others.  Lee  had  sixty  thousand  men,  less  than 
half  of  Grant's  forces.  In  two  days  General  Grant 
lost  thirty  thousand  men,  of  which  only  five  tliou- 
sand  were  prisoners,  while  Lee's  losses  were  but 
ten  thousand.  The  battle  of  the  Wilderness  can- 
not be  claimed  as  a  victory  for  Grant,  and  the 
reckless  loss  of  life  can  only  be  excused  on  the 
ground  that  the  "  hotter  the  war,  the  sooner  would 
they  have  peace."  May  7,  1SG4,  Lee  retreated 
toward  Spottsylvania  Court-IIouse,  the  Union 
army  following  and  still  fighting.  On  the  8th  the 
battle  of  Spottsylvania  was  fought  with  an  indeci- 
sive result.  On  the  10th,  the  battle  was  continued 
with  a  loss  of  ten  thousand  on  the  Union  side. 
The  result  was  still  doubtful.  On  the  12th,  Lee 
and  Grant  again  fought  with  an  indecisive  result. 
On  the  13th,  General  Sheridan  destroyed  Lee's 
depot  of  supplies  in  his  rear  near  Beaver  Dam. 
By  the  21st,  Lee,  being  flanked  by  overwhelming 
masses  brought  against  him,  retired  from  Spottsyl- 
vania to  the  North  Anna.  On  the  25th,  General 
Stuart,  the  able  Confederate  cavalry  leader,  was 
killed,  and  General  Sheridan,  who  was  fast  rising 
in  military  fame,  after  pei'forming  a  series  of  bril- 
liant and  daring  deeds  in  Lee's  rear,  joined  General 


376  L^.ViU.V. 

Grant.  Grant  seldom  lost  a  foot  of  ground  that 
he  had  gained,  and  at  any  and  all  cost  pushed  on. 
While  there  may  have  been  more  brilliant  officers 
in  the  field,  he  possessed  the  excellent  faculty  of 
"  hanging  on"  to  an  extraordinary  degree.  His 
frightful  losses  of  three  to  one  of  the  enemy, 
would  have  disheartened  an}'  other  general.  Al- 
though he  had  lost  an  army  of  soldiers  during  the 
month  of  May,  on  the  2Tth  of  that  month  he  crossed 
the  Pamunky  and  flanked  Lee  at  Hanovertown. 

On  June  1,  1864,  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  was 
fought,  the  result  indecisive,  but  loss  on  both  sides 
fearful.  Tliough  the  rebel  losses  were  much  less 
than  Grant's,  they  had  no  resources  to  draw  from. 

On  the  loth,  an  unsuccessful  assault  of  three 
days  was  made  on  Petersburg,  with  a  loss  on  the 
Union  side  of  ten  thousand  men.  General  Grant 
had  been  at  the  head  of  the  Arnw  of  the  Potomac 
less  tluin  three  months,  and  had  lost  the  enormous 
number  of  sixty-four  tliousand  men,  four  thousand 
men  more  than  comprised  Lee's  army  in  the  lie- 
ginning,  and  almost  as  many  as  were  thouglit 
necessary,  in  1861,  to  })ut  down  the  rebellion. 
Lse's  losses  were  a  little  over  half  as  many.  It 
was  now  c|uite  evident  that  the  war  was  to  be  a 
war  of  endurance.  On  the  20th  of  June,  Peters- 
burg was  strongly  reinforced  by  Lee,  and  Grant's 
advance  checked. 


"J  HAVE  A  WIFE."  377 

In  the  west,  GenerrJ  Sherman  was  following  the 
plan  of  General  Grant.  In  fact,  there  was  a  won- 
derful similarity  between  these  officers.  Neither 
seemed  to  know  the  word  failure. 

On  the  loth  of  Ma}-,  while  Grant  and  Lee  were 
fighting  at  Spottsylvania,  Sherman,  after  a  two 
days'  fight,  drove  Johnston  from  Resaca,  Georgia. 
Sherman  pushed  on  after  Johnston,  and  these  giants 
again  met  at  Kenesaw  Mountains  on  June  27tli. 
Johnston  had  been  compelled  to  abandon  post  after 
post  before  the  approach  of  Sherman's  conquering 
columns.  The  Kenesaw  Mountains  overlook  Mari- 
etta. Around  these  great  hills  and  upon  their 
slopes  and  summits,  and  also  upon  Lost  and  Pine 
Mountains,  the  Confederates  had  cast  up  intrench- 
nients  and  planted  signal  stations;  but,  after  a  des- 
perate struggle — fighting  battle  after  battle  for  the 
space  of  about  a  month,  while  the  rain  was  falling 
copiously,  almost  without  intermission — the  Con- 
federates were  forced  to  leave  these  strong  positions. 
They  fled  toward  the  Chattahoochee  River,  in  tlie 
direction  of  Atlanta,  closely  pursued  by  the  Nation- 
als. One  of  the  corps  commanders.  Bishop  Polk, 
was  killed  by  a  sliell  on  the  summit  of  Pine  Moun- 
tain. So  persistently  did  Johnston  dispute  the 
way  from  Dalton,  in  northern  Georgia,  to  Atlanta, 
that  when  he  reached  the  entrenchments  at  the  latter 
place,  he  had  lost  nearly  one-fourth  of  his  army. 


378  UNION. 

On  the  evening  of  July  2d,  Sherman's  cavalry 
threatened  Johnston's  flanks,  also  menacing  the 
ferry  at  Chattahoochee,  and  the  Confederates  aban- 
doned the  Great  Kenesaw,  and  fled.  At  dawn 
next  morning,  when  the  national  skirmishers 
planted  the  stars  and  stripes  over  the  Confederate 
battery  on  the  summit  of  that  eminence,  they  saw 
hosts  of  the  enemy  flying  in  hot  haste  toward  At- 
lanta. At  eight  o'clock  Sherman  entered  Marietta, 
close  on  the  heels  of  Johnston's  army.  He  hoped 
to  strike  the  Confederates  a  fatal  blow  while  they 
were  crossing  the  Chattahoochee;  but  Johnston,  by 
quick  and  skilful  movements,  passed  the  stream 
without  molestation,  and  made  a  stand  along  the 
line  of  it.  General  Howard  laid  a  pontoon  bridge 
two  miles  above  the  ferry  where  Johnston  had 
crossed,  and  at  the  same  time  there  was  a  general 
movement  of  Sherman's  forces  all  along  the  line. 
The  imperilled  Confederates  were  forced  to  aban- 
don their  works  near  the  Chattahoochee,  and  retreat 
to  a  new  line  that  covered  Atlanta,  their  left  rest- 
ing on  the  Chattahoochee  and  their  right  on  Peach 
Tree  Creek.  The  two  armies  rested  until  the  mid- 
dle of  July.  The  able  and  judicious  leader,  John- 
ston, was  succeeded  by  Hood  of  Texas,  a  dashing 
but  less  cautious  officer  than  his  predecessor. 
Sixty -five  days  after  Sherman  had  put  his  army 
in  motion  southward,  he  was  master  of  the  whole 


/  HAVE  A  WIFE.'' 


379 


country  north  and  west  of  the  river  on  the  banks 
of  which  he  was  resting  (nearly  one-half  of 
Georgia)  and  had  accomplished  one  of  the  chief 
ol)jects  of  the  campaign,  namely,  the  advancement 
of  the  National  lines  from  the 
Tennessee  to  the  Chattahoochee. 

The  possession  of  Atlanta,  the 
key-point  of  military  advantage  in 
that  region,  was  the  next  prize  to 
be  contended  for.  About  the  16th 
of  July,  the  National  army  began 
its  advance,  destroying  railways 
and  skirmishing  bravely;  and  on 
the  20th,  the  Confederates,  led  by 
Hood  in  person,  fell  upon  the  corps 
of  Howard,  Hooker,  and  Palmer,  with  heavy  force. 
The  assailants  were  repulsed  after  a  sharp  battle 
in  which  both  parties  suffered  severely. 

There  were  indications  that  Hood  intended  to 
evacuate  Atlanta;  but  when  Sherman's  troops 
moved  rapidly  toward  the  city,  they  encountered 
strong  entrenchments.  Before  these,  a  part  of 
Hood's  army  held  their  antagonists;  while  the 
main  body,  led  by  General  Hardee,  made  a  long, 
night  march,  gained  the  rear  of  Sherman's  forces 
on  the  morning  of  July  22d,  and  fell  on  them  with 
crushing  weight  and  numbers.  A  terrific  battle 
ensued,  lasting  many  hours ;   and  after  a  brief  inter- 


Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman. 


380  UNION. 

val,  one  still  more  sanguinary  was  begun,  which 
resulted  in  a  victory  for  the  United  States  troops, 
and  the  retreat  of  the  Confederates  to  their  works. 
General  McPherson  was  that  day  killed  by  sharp- 
shooters in  the  woods,  and  General  John  A.  Logan 
took  his  place  in  command.  On  the  28th  of  July, 
another  terrible  battle  was  fought  before  Atlanta, 
and  the  Confederates  were  again  driven  to  their 
lines ;  and  from  that  time  until  the  close  of  August, 
hostilities  in  that  region  were  confined,  chiefly,  to 
raids  upon  railways  and  the  interruption  of  each 
other's  supplies.  On  the  31st  of  August,  the  forces 
of  Howard  and  Hardee  had  a  severe  battle  at 
Jonesboro,  twenty  miles  below  Atlanta,  in  which 
the  Confederates  were  defeated.  When  Hood 
heard  of  this  disaster,  he  perceived  his  j^eril,  and 
blowing  up  his  magazine  at  Atlanta,  formed  a 
junction  witli  Hardee,  and  with  his  whole  army 
soon  recrossed  the  Chattahoochee.  Hood  had  lost 
nearlv  half  his  infantry  in  the  space  of  a  few  weeks. 
The  Union  army  entered  Atlanta  September  2, 
1864. 

Mark  Stevens,  since  his  recovery  and  return  to 
the  command  of  his  company,  had  seen  active 
service.  Though  he  had  been  promoted  to  major, 
he  never  lost  interest  in  his  company.  For  merito- 
rious conduct,  and  through  the  influence  of  his 
cousin  Mark,  Alec,  despite  the  fact    that  he  had 


"J  HAVE  A  WIFE."  381 

come,  as  he  said,  to  serve  the  coinitry  as  a  private, 
and  carry  a  musket,  was  made  lieutenant.  At 
Kenesaw  Mountains,  the  mortality  of  the  officers 
was  very  great  and  when  the  conflict  was  over 
Alec  had  a  captain's  commission. 

While  the  army  was  operating  about  Atlanta 
just  previous  to  the  fall  of  that  city,  Major  Stevens 
was  sent  with  a  force  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men 
to  a  small  village  at  the  head  of  a  creek  to  capture 
a  Confederate  colonel,  who  was  reported  to  be 
lodging  in  a  large  stone  house.  He  took  witli  him 
Alec  and  his  company,  and  a  part  of  two  other 
companies.  The  country  was  full  of  Confederate 
cavalry,  and  there  was  great  danger  of  their  de- 
tachment being  cut  off.  The  night  was  dark  and, 
as  the  men  began  the  march,  a  fine  driz/le  of  rain 
commenced.      Bill  Simms  said: 

"  This  reminds  me  o'  one  night  when  I  was 
with  Gineral  Percy." 

Upon  which  a  comrade  put  in: 

"  Oh,  Bill  Simms,  for  goodness  sake  give  Gin- 
eral Percy  an'  all  the  rest  o"  us  a  rest." 

"  No  talking  in  ranks  I      Forimrd  !"' 

Awa}'  they  marched  in  gloom,  darkness  and 
falling  mist.  Not  one  of  the  men  knew  the  object 
of  the  expedition.  That  secret  was  known  only  to 
Mark  and  the  two  captains.  For  hours  they 
marched  in  an  unknown  land.      A  forest  loomed 


382  UNION. 

up  before  them.  The  major  walked  at  the  side  of 
his  cousin  Alec,  leading  the  force,  preceded  by 
the  guide,  a  bright  young  mulatto,  tlioroughly 
acquainted  with  the  country. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  having 
traversed  a  dark  forest,  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
village.  Mark  and  Alec  held  a  short  consultation, 
after  which  they  drew  up  their  forces  in  a  peach 
orchard  near  the  house.  Accomj^anied  by  Alec, 
Bill  Simms,  Sis  and  Lieutenant  Black,  Mark  went 
to  the  big  stone  house,  not  over  fifty  paces  away. 

The  night  was  dark  and  there  was  but  one 
light  visible  at  a  window.  This  light  was  in  the 
gable. 

The  reconnoitring  party  went  completely  round 
the  bourse  searching  for  some  means  of  entering  it 
unperceived.  When  they  had  reached  the  rear, 
they  were  assailed  by  a  ferocious  dog,  which  Lieu- 
tenant Black  ran  through  with  his  sword. 

There  was  a  broad  piazza,  or  high  porch  in 
front;  and,  finding  no  means  of  entering  the  build- 
ing save  the  doors  which  were  closed,  Mark  deter- 
mined to  demand  admittance  at  the  great  front 
entrance.  He  left  Lieutenant  Black  at  the  south 
end  of  the  house,  Bill  Simms  was  in  the  rear.  Sis 
at  the  north  wing,  while  Alec  was  to  remain  on  the 
piazza,  as  it  would  be  nearest  to  the  major.  All 
were  to  keep  their  positions  unless  summoned  by 


"/  HAVE  A  WIFE."  383 

the  major  to  come  to  his  aid.  Mark  went  to  the 
door  and  rapped  lightly.  There  being  no  re- 
sponse, he  rapped  again  louder  than  before,  and 
still  receiving  no  answer,  he  struck  the  door  with 
the  butt  end  of  his  revolver,  a  blow  which  made 
it  tremble. 

Listening  carefully,  he  was  soon  rewarded  by  a 
light  footstep  inside. 

"  That  is  surely  a  woman's  footstep, "  he  thought. 

The  door  opened  just  a  little,  and  he  heard  a 
whispered: 

"Who  are  you?" 

Quickly  throwing  all  his  force  against  the  door, 
he  pushed  it  open  wide  enough  to  enter,  and 
sprang  into  a  dark  corridor.  As  he  did  so,  he 
heard  the  voice  of  a  negro  woman  exclaim, 

"  De  good  lawd  a  massy !"  and  the  sound  of  re- 
treating feet  on  the  carpeted  hall,  fell  on  his  ears; 
but  some  one  remained,  and  he  grappled  with  this 
person.  The  slender  wrist  he  caught,  he  knew  to 
be  a  woman's. 

"Come,  I  won't  harm  you,"  he  said  in  an 
undertone.  "  Get  me  a  light.  Lead  me  to  a  room 
where  there  is  a  light. " 

She  made  no  answer,  and  he  pushed  her  back 
toward  the  rear  end  of  the  hall,  where  there  was  a 
door  opening  into  an  apartment  on  the  right.  Into 
this  he  forced  his  prisoner.     It  was  too  dark  to 


384  UNION. 

recognize  her  features!  Pushing  her  into  the 
apartment  on  the  right,  Mark  took  a  match  from 
his  pocket  and  struck  it,  and  lighted  a  candle  that 
stood  on  the  low  mantel.  Turning,  he  saw  the 
face  of  his  astonished  prisoner,  and,  starting  back 
with  an  exclamation  of  wonder,  he  gasped: 

"Elsie!" 

She  stood  giving  him  a  look  of  cold,  though 
tender  reproach.  For  a  full  minute,  neither  spoke. 
Then  recovering  himself,  he  asked  : 

"  Elsie,  in  Heaven's  name,  why  are  you  here?" 

"  Do  you  come  for  any  one  in  this  house?" 

"  Is  there  a  Confederate  colonel  here?" 

"  Yes. "  Her  face  was  pale  as  death ,  and  her 
voice  faltered  as  she  answered  his  question.  "  But 
he  is  wounded  and  would  die  if  an  attempt  were 
made  to  remove  him, "  she  added  in  a  broken  voice. 

Mark  then  asked : 

"  Has  he  any  troops  with  him?" 

"  No,  he  is  alone."  He  saw  tears  gathering  in 
her  eyes  and  asked  : 

"  Elsie,  is  that  colonel  your  father?" 

"He  is." 

"  God  forgive  me.  I  would  die  before  I  would 
harm  him." 

"  Where  are  you  going?" 

"  Back  to  camp  to  perjure  myself,  "  he  answered. 
"  I  will  swear  there  is  no  Confederate  here. " 


I  HAVE  A  WIFE." 


385 


"  Mark,  Mark !"  She  held  her  hand  toward  him, 
and  he  paused.     "  Will  you  do  this  for — for  me?" 

For  a  moment  a  flood  of  emotion  swept  over 
him,  and  he  almost  forgot  himself.  He  had  taken 
a  step  toward  her,  when  he  paused  and  said: 

"  Yes,  and  I  would  do  a  thousand  times  more. " 

Quickly  wheeling  about,  he  left  the  house  and 
calling  Alec,  Black,  and  the  others,  returned  to 
his  troops  in  the  peach  orchard.  In  ten  minutes 
they  were  on  their  wa}' 
to  their  camp,  which  was 
reached  at  daylight.  In 
a  charge  that  day  Lieu- 
tenant Black  was  killed. 
Mark  never  mentioned 
the  affair  to  any  one, 
until  after  the  fall  of 
Atlanta. 

Three  days  after  the 
capture  of  the  city,  he 
and  Alec  were  together, 
when  the  latter  said-. 

"  Mark,  you  remem- 
ber the  night  we  went 
to  capture  the  colonel  at  the  old  stone  house?" 

"  Yes. " 

"  Well,  I  would  like  to  know  whom  you  saw 
there?" 
35 


'Elsie!' 


386  UNION. 

"Elsie  Cole." 

"  I  thought  so.  You  need  not  have  been  afraid 
of  telling  me.  I'd  a  been  racked  on  the  rack, 
burnt  on  the  stake,  drawn  through  a  thorn  thicket 
and  squeezed  to  death  in  a  cider-press,  before  I 
would  have  peached. " 

"  Alec,  I  never  doubted  you,  but  having  been 
untrue  to  my  trust,  I  did  not  want  to  make  an- 
other an  accessory  to  my  crime. " 

"  He  was  there?" 

"Yes." 

"Who  was  it?" 

"Elsie's  father." 

For  a  moment  Alec  was  silent,  then  in  his  charac- 
teristic manner  he  seized  his  friend's  hand  and  cried : 

"  Mark,  I  am  proud  of  you,  cussed  if  I  ain't. 
You  have  showed  yourself  a  man  with  a  heart  as 
big  as  an  ox,  and  I  know  it.  Talk  about  duty 
and  sentiment  and  all  that,  but  I  would  not  give  a 
tinker's  cuss  for  a  man  who  would  sacrifice  a 
friend,  because  he  holds  to  a  different  notion  of 
things.  But,  Mark,"  and  then  his  face  grew  more 
mysterious,  and  his  voice  dropped  almost  to  a  whis- 
per, "  tell  me  what  all  this  mystery  is?  Why 
don't  you  propose  to  that  girl,  whom  you  love, 
and  marry  her?  What  is  in  the  way?  Is  it  me? 
If  it  is  I'll  swear  I'll  put  myself  out  of  the  way 
very  soon. " 


"7  HAVE  A  WIFE."  387 

"  You  are  not  in  the  way,  Alec. " 
"  Why  don't  you  marry  her,  then?" 
"  Because  I  already  have  a  wifeV 
Alec  uttered  a  yell  and  stared  at  his  cousin  as  if 
he  thought  him  suddenly  gone  mad. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE    CLOUDS    KOLL    AWAY. 

"  Yes,  Alec,  I  am  a  married  man  and  have  been 
all  these  years,"  continued  Mark  Stevens  in  a  low, 
melancholy  voice.  "  I  don't  blame  you  for  start- 
ing and  staring  at  me.  There  you  have  it  all.  Alec, 
— you  know  what  a  villain  I  am,  and  I  would  not 
blame  you,  if  you  cut  my  acquaintance  entirely." 

For  several  minutes  Alec  Stevens  was  silent. 
They  had  walked  a  long  distance  into  the  suburbs 
of  the  city,  and  reached  a  dismantled  fort.  Alec 
sat  down  on  a  gun-carriage  and  with  his  honest 
brow  gathered  into  a  knot,  tried  hard  to  solve  the 
difficult  and  delicate  problem. 

Could  it  be  possible  that  his  dearest  friend  for 
whom  he  had  so  often  risked  his  life,  and  for 
whom  he  would  have  staked  his  all,  was  a  villain? 
Alec  would  not  have  listened  to  such  an  im})uta- 
tion  from  other  lips,  and  even  now  it  seemed  im- 
possible. Mark  could  not  have  been  all  these 
years  living  a  double  life.  Alec's  voice  was  some- 
what husk}',  when  he  asked: 
388 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  389 

"  Mark,  when  was  it?     Before  the  war  began?" 

"  Yes,  before  I  ever  saw  Elsie  at  your  home  in 
Florida, "  the  major  answered. 

"  Where  is  your  wife?" 

"  I  don't  know.  Heaven  knows  I  would  give 
all  I  possess  to  know." 

"  Did  she  desert  you?" 

"  No. " 

"  You  left  her?" 

"  No. " 

"  Well,  who? — how? — what  in  thunder  happened 
to  separate  you  anyway?  Did  the  earth  split  in 
two  and  one  slide  off  on  each  side?" 

"  We  were  torn  asunder  within  two  hours  after 
we  were  married. " 

Alec  sat  on  the  cannon  gazing  in  open-mouthed 
amazement  at  his  cousin  for  several  seconds,  and, 
at  last,  finding  voice,  asked: 

"Who  did  it?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Well,  but  your  wife's  family  name,  you  could 
surely  find  her  by " 

"  I  never  knew  her  name, "  Mark  interrupted. 
"  Nor  do  I  know  from  whence  she  came." 

"Oh,  thunderation!  Mark,  are  you  mad — what 
kind  of  a  cock-and-a-bull  story  are  you  telling  me 
anyway  ?  " 

"  Be  patient  and  I  will   relate  this  melancholy 


390  UNION. 

story,  which  may  throw  some  li^ht  on  the  mystery 
that  has  enshrouded  my  life.  When  you  left  me 
in  college,  you  know  how  ambitious  I  was  to  finish 
up  my  education,  and  get  out  into  the  great,  busy 
world.  After  you  left  me  at  old  Harvard,  I 
studied  so  hard  that  my  mind  became  confused. 
Horace,  Plato  and  Integral  Calculus  became  badly 
mixed  in  my  brain,  and  I  failed  to  sleep.  I  went 
to  a  physician,  who  instead  of  prescribing  rest  and 
fresh  air  for  my  insomnia,  dosed  me  wi.th  bromide 
until  my  mind  was  full  of  wild  fantasies,  and 
then  to  cap  the  climax  with  his  stupidity,  hurried 
me  oS.  to  an  asylum  for  the  insane. 

"  I  have  little  knowledge  of  how  I  came  there, 
and  still  less  of  what  transpired  while  I  was  there. 
It  seems  my  bromide  delirium  took  a  strange  turn. 
My  mind  was  full  of  horses  and  lovely  maidens. 
Like  Don  Quixote,  I  imagined  myself  some  knight 
of  the  past  centuries,  destined  to  rescue  a  fair  lady 
from  some  enchanted  castle,  and  one  day  while 
riding  on  horseback  about  the  grounds  with  my 
attendant,  we  came  upon  a  patient,  fair  and  young, 
accompanied  by  her  attendant,  also  riding  on 
horseback.  In  my  mad  fancy,  I  supposed  this  the 
lady  whom  I  was  to  rescue.  I  charged  down  upon 
the  attendant,  and  with  the  affrighted  girl  fled 
through  the  open  gate.  She  was  a  superb  horse- 
woman, as   I   remember    her    now,  and    lovely   as 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  391 

Venus.  In  our  mad  ride,  we  outstripped  our  pur- 
suers, went  to  a  local  preacher's  house,  about  five 
miles  from  the  institution,  and  were  married. 
Within  an  hour  after,  we  were  both  arrested,  and 
taken  back  to  the  institution,  from  which  mj 
friends  immediately  removed  me,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  I  recovered.  My  recollection  of  the  whole 
affair  is  vague  and  dream -like,  yet  it  has  left  a 
lasting  impression  on  my  life. " 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mark's  storj-.  Alec  gave 
vent  to  a  prolonged  whistle  and  exclaimed : 

"  Shades  of  the  Arabian  Nights,  Don  Quixote 
outdone!  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  know  whether  to 
laugh  or  cry.  Mark,  have  you  made  any  great 
effort  to  learn  who  your  insane  bride  was?" 

"  Yes,  I  have  searched  everywhere,  and  done 
everything  possible  to  find  her.  All  that  I  could 
learn  is  that  her  parents,  who  were  wealthy,  became 
indignant  at  the  carelessness  of  the  officials  and 
removed  her.  I  did  hear  an  unreliable  story  about 
her  recovering  almost  immediatel}'  on  her  removal. 
She  had  been  entered  under  an  assumed  name. 
Her  friends  hoped  that  she  might  recover,  and  the 
world  never  know  that  she  had  been  in  such  an  in- 
stitution. She  was  from  some  distant  state,  and 
every  clew  to  her  identity  is  lost. " 

"  What  are  your  recollections  of  the  affair?" 

"  Very    meagre.      I    seemed    actuated    bv   some 


392  UNION. 

inward  impulse  wholly  uncontrollable.  Horace, 
Ovid  and  bromide  badly  befuddle  the  brain,  and 
bring  up  strange  fancies. " 

"  I  suppose  you  remember  how  she  looked  ? " 

"Yes,"  he  answered  slowly  and  sadly.  "To 
me  she  was  the  perfection  of  beauty  and  grace. 
She  was  young,  childlike  and  innocent;  but 
whether  dark  or  fair,  I  have  no  recollection.  She 
was  no  type.  In  beauty  she  stood  alone,  no  ante- 
cedents, no  followers  and  no  successors.  To  me 
she  is  an  ideal,  a  dream,  bright  as  the  morning, 
fair  as  the  day,  when  there  is  not  a  cloud  in  the 
sky.  Did  I  love  her  then?  Yes.  Do  I  love  her 
yet?  I  certainly  do,  but  as  the  recollection  of  a 
bright  dream  which  it  is  a  pleasure  to  recall.  You 
may  call  me  still  mad,  but  through  all  these  years, 
I  have  felt  a  moral  obligation  to  this  wedded  un- 
known. I  never  loved  any  one  more  than  I  love 
her.  I  never  loved  any  one  so  ardently  as  1  love 
Elsie  Cole;  yet  with  all  my  love  for  Elsie,  there 
constantly  rings  in  my  ears,  the  word  'duty,  duty 
and  honor  to  the  one  whom  you  wedded  in  the 
darkest  hour  of  your  existence  I ' " 

A  serio-comic  expression  took  possession  of 
Alec's  features  as  he  responded: 

"  Mark,  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  believe  you  have 
recovered  your  good  sense  yet. " 

"Why?" 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  393 

"  That  marriage  is  uo  marriage  at  all.  That 
wife  was  a  dream,  and  I  think  you  got  too  much 
of  Ovid's  Metamorphoses  in  your  noggin.  You 
were  drunk  on  lore  and  bromide,  and  yow  have  not 
got  sober  yet.  After  all  that  has  passed  between 
you  and  Elsie,  you  love  each  other.  That  other 
marriage  was  a  dream, — forget  it  and  have  a  real 
wedding. " 

"I  can't." 

"Why?" 

"  My  honor. " 

"  Tell  Elsie  all  about  it.  She  is  a  sensible  girl 
and  will  laugh  at  such  a  notion.  A  contract  made 
when  neither  party  is  comjyos  mentis  is  wholly  in- 
valid. Elsie  will  look  over  all  that,  unless  she  is 
not  the  girl  I  take  her  to  be. " 

"But  the  other?" 

"  Oh,  the  dream-wife.  Why  she  is  nothing  to 
you.     Forget  her. " 

Mark  slowly  shook  his  head  as  he  answered : 

"  Alec,  I  don't  blame  you  for  thinking  me  still 
mad.  You  do  not  know,  and  the  world  can  never 
know,  how  strangely  I  am  impressed  b}^  the  dream- 
wife  as  you  call  her.  It  was  not  all  a  dream.  To 
me  she  is  more  realit}^  than  dream.  I  have  seen 
her  a  thousand  times  since,  and  if  I  should  dwell 
long  on  her  I  would  go  mad  in  earnest.  I  can't 
explain  to  you   how   her  vision    rises    before   me 


394  UNION. 

every  time  I  have  thought  of  matrimony,  and 
madly  as  I  love  Elsie,  this  figure  comes  between 
us  when  I  think  of  her  and  says,  'I  am  your  wife, 
will  you  desert  me?'  What  can  I  do  under  such 
circumstances?" 

"  I  swear,  I  don't  know,"  Alec  answered.  Soon 
after,  they  rose  from  the  gun  and  went  back  to 
their  camp.  Mark  watched  his  cousin,  as  he  went 
to  his  quarters  and  murmured : 

"  He  is  the  most  remarkable  man  I  ever  knew. 
He  loves  Elsie  as  devotedly  as  I ;  yet,  knowing  me 
to  have  been  a  villain  all  these  years,  he  still  in- 
sists on  our  marriage.  Alas,  poor  Alec,  there 
never  lived  another  such  as  you." 

The  above  occurred  on  November  13th,  and  on 
the  morning  of  November  14,  1864,  Sherman 
marched  from  Atlanta  with  sixty-five  thousand 
men,  in  two  columns,  commanded  respectively  by 
Generals  Howard  and  Slocum,  and  preceded  by 
General  Kilpatrick  with  five  thousand  cavalry,  on 
his  famous  march  to  the  sea.  The  army  subsisted 
by  ravaging  the  country,  wherein  they  found 
ample  supplies,  leaving  a  desolate  waste  of  smok- 
ing and  blackened  ruins  behind.  They  also  met 
very  little  opposition  on  tlieir  march  of  thirty-six 
days  through  the  heart  of  Georgia.  It  was  a  mili- 
tary promenade,  requiring  very  little  skill  in  the 
performance,  and  as  little  personal  prowess- 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL   AWAY.  395 

On  that  march,  Mark  often  wondered  what  had 
become  of  Elsie  and  her  father.  Were  they  shar- 
ing the  hard  fate  of  these  poor  people,  who  were 
rendered  homeless  and  deprived  of  the  means  of 
sustaining  life?  Sometimes  his  heart  almost  re- 
belled against  Sherman's  cruel  orders.  When  he 
saw  women  and  children,  some  of  the  latter  of 
tender  age  weeping  at  sight  of  blazing  homes,  he 
thought,  "What  a  monster  is  war!"  Wh}^  is  it 
that  the  weak  and  innocent  are  the  greatest  suf- 
ferers? 

Finally,  as  the  Federal  army  approached  the 
Atlantic  seaboard,  they  attacked  and  captured  Fort 
McAllister,  on  the  Ogeeehee  River.  That  was  on 
the  13th  of  December,  and  four  days  later,  Sher- 
man appeared  before  Savannah  and  demanded  the 
surrender  of  that  city.  Hardee  was  there  with 
fifteen  thousand  men,  and  on  the  20th  abandoned 
the  city  and  fled  to  Charleston.  On  the  21st, 
Sherman  entered  the  city  in  triumph.  By  his 
march  through  Georgia,  he  discovered  that  the 
Confederacy  in  that  region  was  a  mere  shell.  To 
every  sensible  man  it  was  quite  apparent  that  its 
days  were  numbered. 

November  8,  1SG4,  Abraham  Lincoln  had  been 
re-elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Cnited  States 
by  an  overwhelming  majority  over  General  Mc- 
Clellan,  the  Democratic  nominee.      His  re-election 


a'J6  umoN. 

was  conclusive  evidence  to  the  world  and  to  liim- 
self  that  liis  course  in  putting  down  the  rebellion 
was  approved  by  the  people,  and  on  the  19th  of 
December,  he  issued  a  call  for  three  hundred 
thousand  men  to  finish  the  war.  On  the  2 5th  of 
November,  an  attempt  was  made  to  burn  New 
York,  but  it  failed.  On  the  30th,  Hood  with 
forty  thousand  men  attacked  General  Schofield 
eight  miles  from  Nashville,  where,  with  only 
seventeen  thousand  troops,  he  successfully  re- 
sisted four  desperate  assaults  of  the  rebels,  and 
then  fell  back  to  Nashville  and  joined  Thomas. 
Hood's  loss  was  reported  at  six  thousand.  On  the 
loth  and  16th  of  December,  Hood  was  defeated  by 
General  Thomas,  and  fled,  pursued  by  the  victori- 
ous Federal  troops. 

On  December  6th,  Mr.  Chase,  ex -secretary  of 
the  treasury,  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the 
United  States  supreme  court.  On  December  20th, 
General  Stoneman  captured  some  Confederate 
forts,  salt  works,  lead  mines  and  railroad  bridges 
at  Saltville,  in  East  Tennessee. 

The  year  186-1  closed  in  general  disaster  to  the 
Confederacj',  Sherman  had  broken  the  Confeder- 
ate power  in  Georgia,  destroying  its  communica- 
tions with  the  States  on  the  Mississippi,  and  taken 
Savannah.  General  Thomas  had  broken  up  Hood's 
army   in  Tennessee,  and  Grant  had  closely   belea- 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  397 

guered  the  southern  army  in  Virginia,  within  Rich- 
mond and  its  defences;  while  Sheridan  had  quite 
ruined  the  army  of  Early  in  the  Shenandoah 
valley. 

As  the  year  1865  dawned,  the  end  was  drawing 
near.  On  January  15th,  Fort  Fisher  on  the  coast 
of  North  Carolina  was  captured  by  General  Terry. 
On  the  16th,  a  magazine  exploded,  killing  and 
wounding  three  hundred  Union  men.  On  the 
17th,  a  Federal  monitor  was  blown  up  by  torpedoes 
in  Charleston  Harbor,  On  the  20th,  the  southern 
troops  evacuated  Corinth,  Mississipj^i.  On  the 
3d,  General  Hood  surrendered  his  command  in 
the  southern  army  to  General  Taylor.  On  the 
21st,  General  Breckenridge  became  the  Confeder- 
ate secretary  of  war,  and  southern  commissioners 
sought  a  peace  interview  with  the  president,  hop- 
ing yet  to  retain  slavery ;  but  the  day  of  grace  had 
passed,  and  slavery  had  already  gone  to  protest. 
Two  days  later,  congress,  by  joint  resolutions, 
voted  to  submit  an  amendment  called  the  14th 
Amendment,  abolishing  slavery,  and  nine  States 
ratitied  the  amendment  within  the  next  month. 

On  the  5th  of  Februarv,  General  Grant  was  de- 
feated at  Hatcher's  Run,  where  he  had  met  a 
similar  defeat  on  27th  of  October.  On  the  17th, 
Columbia,  South  Carolina,  was  burned.  On  the 
18th,  Sherman  took  possession  of  Charleston,  and 


398  UNION. 

Major,  now  General,  Anderson  raised  the  flag  over 
Fort  Sumter,  which  he  had  been  compelled  to 
lower,  after  a  most  gallant  resistance,  four  years 
before. 

Strange  emotions  swayed  the  breast  of  Mark 
Stevens  as  he  entered  the  city  of  Charleston  after 
the  flames  had  been  extinguished.  What  a  sad 
change  in  the  once  proud,  gay  southern  city. 
Many  elegant  mansions  which  had  stood  in  the 
town  when  he  left  were  in  ashes  or  ruins.  And 
the  once  happy  families — where  were  they?  He 
•wandered  to  the  beautiful  suburban  home  of  Colo- 
nel Cole.  It  was  deserted  now.  No  glad,  laugh- 
ing eyes  met  him  at  the  gate.  No  gaj^,  happy 
voice  was  there  to  welcome  him.  He  walked 
through  the  silent  halls,  heavily  oppressed  Vvrith 
woe.  All  were  gone.  Not  even  the  echo  of  an 
old  familiar  song  remained. 

The  house  had  been  used  alternately  as  hospital, 
a  barracks  and  a  stable.  It  was  sadly  defaced,  and 
the  carpets  and  most  of  the  furniture  had  almost 
entirely  disappeared.  He  found  one  parlor  chair, 
minus  the  upholstering,  in  the  hall.  An  old,  de- 
cayed sofa,  faded  and  worn  and  only  the  shadow  of 
its  former  self,  was  in  one  of  the  upper  chambers. 

He  wandered  to  her  favorite  room,  and  almost 
shed  tears.  Oh,  what  a  change!  In  one  corner 
was  the  skeleton  of  her  piano,  at  which  she  used 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  399 

to  sit  and  ging  such  songs  as  seemed  to  charm  the 
seraphims ;  but  it  was  husky  now  and  gave  forth 
only  discordant  sounds.  It  was  all  that  was  left 
to  remind  any  one  of  the  fair  being,  who,  in  the 
years  gone  b}^,  had  been  the  joy  and  sunlight  of 
a  happy  home.  There  is  little  consolation  in 
wandering  about  the  tombs  of  buried  happiness, 
and  Mark  returned  to  his  regiment. 

He  met  Alec,  who  had  been  wandering  about 
the  ruined  city.  For  once,  the  light  of  mischief 
had  gone  out  of  his  eyes,  and  in  a  voice  of  sad- 
ness, he  said : 

"It  don't  look  like  Charleston.  It's  not  the 
Charleston  we  used  to  know.  I've  been  all  over 
it  and  don't  see  much  that's  familiar.  I  was  up 
at  the  church  and  saw  where  a  shell  had  torn  away 
all  but  two  of  the  ten  commandments:  'Thou 
shalt  not  kill,'  and  'Thou  shalt  not  commit  adul- 
tery;' but  this  will  soon  be  over.  The  rebels  are 
everywhere  following  my  example,  deserting  and 
coming  back  to  the  old  flag. " 

On  the  4th  of  March,  Lincoln  was  inaugurated 
for  his  second  term.  On  the  10th,  General  Bragg 
was  defeated  at  Kingston,  North  Carolina.  On 
the  8th  of  February,  the  Confederate  congress  ad- 
journed and  never  met  again. 

When  Sherman  left  Charleston  in  pursuit  of  the 
rebels,  Mark  and  Alec  were  both  glad  to  leave  the 


400  UNION. 

dismal  place.  Charleston  seemed  only  to  mock 
them  as  the  grinning  skeleton  of  a  once-beloved 
friend.  After  a  three  days'  rest  at  Fayettesville, 
Sherman  moved  his  army  forward  in  another  dis- 
tracting march,  puzzling  his  antagonists.  On 
March  16th,  while  moving  toward  Goldsboro,  his 
troops  fought  twenty  thousand  Confederates  under 
General  Hardee  at  Averysboro  and  defeated  them. 

Mark's  regiment  was  with  Slocum's  division  of 
Sherman's  army,  and  the  day  after  the  fight  at 
Averysboro,  they  wheeled  to  their  right,  crossed 
South  Eiver,  swollen  by  rains,  and  took  the  road 
to  Goldsboro,  whither  Howard,  farther  east,  was 
marching,  "  wallowing  along  the  miry  roads." 

On  the  18th,  both  wings  were  witliin  a  few  miles 
of  the  place,  and  Sherman,  thinking  there  would 
be  no  more  opposition  to  his  advance,  left  Slocum 
and  started  across  the  country  to  see  Howard. 
He  had  gone  scarce  six  miles,  when  he  was  startled 
b}'  the  sudden,  angry  roar  of  cannon  behind  him, 
evidently  coming  from  the  spot  where  Slocum's 
army  lay.  While  listening  to  the  heavy  explo- 
sions, wondering  what  they  could  mean,  a  stafi" 
officer  galloped  up  and  quieted  his  anxiety  by  say- 
ing it  was  merely  an  affair  between  Carlin's  divi- 
sion and  the  rebel  cavalry,  and  that  the  latter  were 
in  full  retreat.  In  a  few  moments,  other  officers 
arrived   with  the  alarming  intelligence  that  John- 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  401 

ston's  whole  arm}^  near  Beiitonville  had  assailed 
Slocum.  Comprehending  at  once  the  new,  dan- 
gerous position  of  affairs,  he  sent  word  Ijack  to 
Slocum  to  stand  solely  on  the  defensive,  until  he 
could  forward  troops  to  his  relief.  Officers  imme- 
diately dashed  off  over  the  country,  hearing  dis- 
patches— one  to  Blair,  to  make  a  night  march 
with  his  corps,  to  Falling  Creek  church,  and  with 
three  divisions  oi  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  to  come  up 
in  Johnston's  rear,  from  the  direction  of  Cox's 
bridge, — another  to  Howard  to  move  at  daylight 
on  Bentonville,  leaving  his  wagons  behind. 

While  thus  engaged,  couriers  arrived  from 
Schotield  and  Terry.  Ordering  the  former  to 
march  on  Goldsboro,  and  the  latter  to  move  to 
Cox's  bridge,  ten  miles  above,  and  establish  a 
crossing  there,  he  once  more  gave  his  individual 
attention  to  Slocum,  and  the  unexpected  battle 
thus  suddenly  thrown  upon  him. 

He  found  the  latter  not  the  least  alarmed.  He 
had  chosen  an  admirable  position  and  placed  his 
artillery  so  as  to  sweep  the  front.  He  then  sent 
Morgan's  division  to  establish  another  line  about 
half  a  mile  in  advance.  Against  this  Johnston  ad- 
vanced in  overwhelming  numbers  and  hurled  it 
back  in  confusion,  capturing  three  guns  and  cais- 
sons. Slocum,  seeing  the  heavy  force  opposed  to 
him,  at  once  deployed  the  two  divisions  of  the 
26 


403  UNION. 

Fourteenth  Corps,  under  General  Davis,  and  liur- 
ried  forward  at  their  utmost  speed  the  two  divi- 
sions of  the  Twentieth  Corps.  A  line  of  barricades 
was  hastily  prepared,  and  the  whole  force  put 
strictly  on  the  defensive.  In  the  mean  time,  Kil- 
patrick,  aroused  by  the  roar  of  artillery,  cametliun- 
dering  down  the  roads  and  massed  his  squadrons 
on  the  left.  It  was  now  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, and  Slocum  had  hardly  got  ready  to  meet 
the  enemy,  when  they  came  pouring  in  upon  him 
like  an  avalanche.  In  three  massive  columns  they 
swept  up  to  his  frail  barricades  and  threatened  b}^ 
mere  weight  of  numbers  to  carry  everything  before 
them.  Mowed  down  by  Federal  batteries  and  the 
deliberate  volleys  of  infantr}^,  the  first  column  re- 
coiled, when  the  second,  undaunted  by  the  repulse 
of  the  first,  charged  with  a  cheer;  but  right  in  its 
path  stood  Davis'  Corps — which  had  won  such  im- 
mortal honors  on  the  bloody  field  of  Chickamauga 
— and  stopped  it  with  one  terrible  blow.  The 
whole  fury  of  the  attack  spent  itself  in  less  than 
an  hour,  and  yet  in  that  time  the  enemy  had  made 
six  successive  assaults,  and  in  the  last  charge  had 
broken  Slocum's  line;  but  it  rallied  and,  charging 
in  turn,  drove  Johnston  back.  So  close  and  des- 
perate was  the  combat,  that  man}'  of  the  rebel  dead 
lay  within  the  lines  of  the  government  troops  and 
around  the  headquarters  of  the  generals. 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  403 

It  was  in  that  last  mad  charge,  that  Mark  hap- 
pened to  be  near  Sis,  when  the  brave  boy  dropped 
his  gun.  Leaping  from  his  saddle,  he  ran  to  him 
and  caught  him  in  his  arms  as  he  was  sinking  to 
the  earth.  His  face  bore  a  peaceful  look,  almost 
to  be  envied  in  all  that  turmoil  and  uproar.  Mark 
spoke  to  him,  shook  him,  then  gently  laid  him  on 
the  ground  soaked  with  his  own  blood,  and  folded 
the  arms  of  the  youth  across  his  breast.  They 
found  him  thus  when  they  came  next  day  to  bury 
the  dead. 

Mark  had  the  third  horse  shot  under  him  that 
day.  He  sat  on  the  fourth,  under  a  tree,  when  he 
heard  a  wild,  whirring  noise,  then  came  a  blinding 
flash  as  if  a  bolt  of  lightning  had  struck  his  head. 
There  was  a  deafening  explosion,  and  it  seemed  as 
if  the  tree  had  been  torn  up  by  the  roots.  He  felt 
himself  sinking.  Horse  and  rider  went  down,  and 
he  was  conscious  of  his  steed  making  some  spas- 
modic plunges,  while  it  uttered  one  or  two  almost 
human  cries  of  agony. 

Mark  was  carried  to  the  rear.  Though  his  horse 
had  been  killed  by  the  explosion  of  the  shell,  he 
had  not  been  touched.  A  branch  torn  from  the 
tree  had  struck  his  shoulder  and  he  was  badly 
shocked,  bruised  and  insensible  when,  taken  to  the 
rear.  When  he  recovered,  the  fighting  was  over 
for  the  present. 


404  UNION. 

As  has  been  stated  on  another  page,  many  of 
the  Confederates,  in  their  wild,  impetuous  charge, 
rushed  into  the  Union  lines.  Alec  saw  a  fine  op- 
portunity to  cut  off  a  small  detachment  of  these, 
and,  by  a  skilful  flank  movement,  dashed  into 
their  rear  and  swooped  up  the  entire  party,  whom 
he  quickly  marched  to  the  rear.  The  party  was 
led  by  two  brave  young  officers,  whose  uniforms 
were  faded  and  mud-stained,  and  whose  hard- 
pinched  features  told  of  privation  and  suffering  for 
a  cause  which  they  now  knew  to  be  hopelessl}'  lost. 
Alec  led  the  two  young  Confederates  aside  and  said : 

"  You  fellows  are  brave  as  hedgehogs,  and  I  am 
going  to  parole  you,  and  give  you  the  liberty  of 
the  camp.  I  know  that  men  so  brave  as  you  must 
be  honorable " 

"Alec  Stevens,  a  Yankee!  Heavens!  is  it  pos- 
sible?" interrupted  one. 

"  Dick — Dick  !  what,  great  guns!  tar  and  pitch  ! 
is  it  really  you?  Why,  I  thought  you  were  off  on 
a  ship  somewhere. " 

Dick  hastily  explained  that  he  had  been  aboard 
the  Alabama  when  she  sank,  and  that  he  came  to 
America  with  his  cousin  Charley  Cole  to  try  bat- 
tling for  the  Confederacy  on  land;  but  both  Dick 
and  Charley,  for  the  other  was  Charley,  wanted  tq 
know  how  Alec  had  "flopped."  Alec  made  an 
explanatioii,  declaring  that  he  had  felt  just  like  a 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  405 

fool  all  the  time  be  was  fighting  the  old  flag.  It 
is  doubtful  if  his  explanation  was  satisfactory  to 
the  prisoners;  but  Charley  Cole  said: 

"  I  think  that  you  did  a  wise  thing,  Alec, 
whether  you  acted  from  principle  or  not,  for  the 
bottom  is  knocked  out  of  the  Southern  Confederacy, 
and  the  old  tub  is  sinking. " 

"You  are  right  there,  boys;  but  now  that  this 
present  little  squall  is  over,  make  yourselves  at 
home.  Here  is  a  cracker  apiece  to  amuse  your 
stomachs,  until  supper  is  ready.  I  must  go  and 
look  after  our  major.  The  last  I  saw  of  him  he 
was  batting  off  a  shell  with  his  elbow,  and  I  want 
to  see  if  there's  enough  left  of  him  to  hold  a  funeral 
over.  I  will  be  back  soon,  and  we  will  talk  over 
old  times  and  enjoy  ourselves." 

Alec  expected  to  find  Mark  dead,  and  was  re- 
joiced to  learn  that  he  was  alive  and  not  seriousl}- 
injured.  The  major  had  been  badly  shaken  up, 
and  the  surgeon  declared  that  he  must  be  kept 
quiet  for  a  few  hours. 

That  night  Mark  lay  in  a  hospital  tent  on  tlie 
field  listening  to  the  far-off  thunder  of  cannon  and 
the  rattle  of  musketry,  which  seemed  to  proclaim 
to  everybody  that  the  four  years'  storm  was  subsid- 
ing. It  was  midnight,  and  he  was  in  a  semi-con- 
scious state  produced  by  the  narcotics  of  the  sur- 
geon, when  he  heard  the  nurse  ask  some  one; 


406  UNION. 

"  When  did  jou  come?" 

"  I  retiched  the  camp  but  two  hours  ago,  heard 
of  his  injuries  and,  after  a  long  search,  found  him.  " 

How  like  the  tender  notes  of  a  fairy's  shell,  as 
she  winds  them  mellow  and  clear  on  the  glistening- 
beach,  enchanting  the  sailor,  sounded  those  silver 
tones.  He  half  opened  his  eyes,  and,  weak  as  he 
was  from  the  shock,  he  could  have  sworn  he  saw 
Elsie  at  his  side,  arrayed  in  riding  habit,  her  face 
very  white,  but  beautiful  as  ever.  He  tried  to 
speak,  but  could  not.  Thej^owerof  the  drug  held 
his  tongue.     He  heard  her  ask : 

"  Is  he  dangerously  hurt?" 

"Oh,  no,"  the  nurse  answered.  "It  is  only  a 
shock  to  his  nervous  system,  and  with  proper  care 
he  will  be  over  it  in  a  day  or  two.  He  is  very 
still  now ;  but  it  is  the  effect  of  an  opiate  the  doc- 
tor gave  him.  There  is  a  widow  lad}'  living  just 
across  the  street.  You  had  better  go  there  and 
stay  until  morning. " 

"  I  will.  At  eight  I  will  call,  for  j3erhaps  by 
that  time  I  can  see  him?" 

"  Perhaps. " 

Mark  again  sank  into  a  state  of  unconsciousness. 
He  awoke  next  morning  and  was  trj'ing  to  settle 
in  his  own  mind  the  incidents  of  the  preceding 
night,  when  Alec  came  bounding  into  the  tent  cry- 
ing: 


THE  CLOUDS  ROLL  AWAY.  407 

"By  George,  Mark! — thunder  and  lightning! — 

it's  all  right "     He  was  almost  out  of  breath 

with  running  and  excitement.  "  I've  been  all  night 
working  on  it,  and  have  just  got  it  fixed.  The 
problem  of  five  years  is  solved." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Alec?  What  problem 
have  you  solved?" 

"Your  problem.  You, — Great  Jehosaphat! 
don't  you  understand  me?  It's  you.  You  mar- 
ried the  right  girl  after  all." 

"Alec,  are  you  crazy?" 

"  No ;  but  you  have  been  all  along,  or  you 
might  have  saved  yourself  lots  of  trouble  and  me 
too.  I  tell  you,  you  married  the  right  girl.  Look 
here,"  and  he  held  up  a  clipping  from  an  old 
newspaper.  Mark  glanced  at  it,  and  saw  that  it 
was  one  of  the  many  accounts  of  his  mad  flight  and 
marriage  from  the  insane  asylum. 

"  Where  did  you  get  that?"  he  asked. 

"  Charley  Cole  and  Dick  Stevens  were  captured 
yesterda}^,  after  that  shell  kissed  your  face.  We 
talked  nearly  all  night,  and  after  I  had  told  them 
everything  else,  I  told  them  about  you  and  Elsie 
and  your  runaway  from  the  madhouse  with  a  girl 
whom  you  never  knew,  never  expect  to  know,  and 
never  will  know.  Then  Charley,  he  up  and  says 
that  girl  you  eloped  with  and  married,  while  ^'our 
head  was  full  of  Horace,  Ovid  and  bromide,  was 


408  UNION. 

his  sister,  Elsie.  They  had  been  on  a  visit  in 
the  North,  and  Elsie,  for  a  temporary  nervous 
trouble,  was  treated  by  a  quack  on  bromide,  until 
she  had  a  bromide  delirium  and  was  taken  there 
under  an  assumed  name " 

"Elsie!  Elsie!"  cried  Mark  at  this  moment, 
leaping  to  his  feet  and  clasping  in  his  arms  the  beau- 
tiful woman  who  had  just  entered  the  tent.  "  It 
was  you,  after  all.  Oh,  Elsie,  our  love  in  mad- 
ness has  been  perpetuated  through  all  these  years. 
Tell  me,  darling,  you  who  accepted  me  for  better 
or  for  worse,  when  our  miiids  were  clouded,  will 
you  still  do  so,  now  that  the  clouds  have  rolled 
away?" 

Her  head  rested  on  his  shoulder,  and  she  faintly 
sobbed : 

"Yes!" 

Alec,  who  had  retreated  to  the  door  at  the  start- 
ling and  romantic  denouement,  paused  for  a  mo- 
ment to  gaze  on  the  scene,  and  muttered : 

"  To  think,  I  have  been  five  years  courting  an- 
other man's  wife!     It  makes  me  feel  like  a  fool." 


'TO    THINK,    I    HAVE    BEEN   EIVE   TEARS    COURTING    ANOTHER   MAN's    WIFE  1 


CHAPTER    XX. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  great  struggle  was  almost  over.  General 
Grant  captured  Richmond  April  3d.  Jefi'  Davis 
had  fled  to  Danville.  On  the  9th,  terms  were 
agreed  upon  between  Grant  and  Lee  for  the  sur- 
render of  thelatter'sarmy  at  Appomattox,  and  next 
day  Lee  delivered  his  farewell  address  to  the 
army.  On  the  12th  of  April,  Lee's  ami}-,  number- 
ing 27,805,  was  surrendered  at  Appomattox  Court 
House.  The  same  day,  Stoneman  defeated  the 
Confederates  at  Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  and 
General  Conly  occupied  Mobile,  Alabama. 

The  spunky  little  South  was  at  last  thrown  flat 
on  her  back ;  but  it  took  four  years  to  do  it.  Four 
years,  with  more  than  two  millions  of  men  and 
billions  of  money.  Of  the  two  millions  of  soldiers, 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  had  died 
on  the  field  of  battle  and  in  the  hospitals.  It  has 
been  stated  by  the  adjutant -general  of  the  Confed- 
erate army,  since  the  close  of  the  war,  that  the  avail- 
able Confederate  force  during  the  entire  war  was 
409 


410  UNION. 

six  Imndrecl  thousand  men,  and  that  tliey  never 
had  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  in  the  field 
at  any  one  time.  This  is  the  only  official  data  we 
have,  and  it  must  be  taken  as  correct.  He  states 
that  the  Confederate  force  opposing  Grant,  Sher- 
man and  Thomas  at  the  close  of  the  contest  was 
only  one  hundred  thousand.  According  to  the  best 
authority,  the  Union  forces  were  a  million,  if  they 
did  not  exceed  that  number.  According  to  the 
best  statistics  obtainable,  the  Federal  army  lost 
more  from  deaths  on  the  battle-field,  in  the  hospi- 
tals and  wounded,  than  the  entire  rebel  army  ever 
enrolled.  Victory  was  won,  but  we  can  see  at 
what  a  terrible  price.  The  contest  was  fearful,  and 
the  cost  great.  The  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  is 
not  the  only  loss,  and  in  fact  not  the  greatest. 
There  are  hundreds  of  thousands,  disabled  by  dis- 
eases contracted  in  the  army,  many  thousands  of 
whom  are  unable  to  earn  a  livelihood,  and  are  pen- 
sioners on  the  bounty  of  a  grateful  country,  that 
never  forgets  its  brave  defenders. 

A  few  weeks  before  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army, 
yet  when  all  seemed  to  read  the  inevitable,  there 
was  a  handsome,  talented  young  actor,  playing  an 
engagement  at  De  Bar's  Opera  House  in  St.  Louis. 
The  name  of  this  actor,  a  promising  young  trage- 
dian, was  John  Wilkes  Booth,  the  son  of  the  elder 
Booth.      Critics  had  said  that  John  Wilkes  Booth 


CONCLUSION.  411 

would  never  equal  his  father,  as  an  exponent  of 
Shakespearian  tragedy,  and  some  think  that  his 
sensitive  nature  was  soured  and  he  was  jealous  of 
the  reputation  of  his  sire.  He  was  a  handsome 
man  with  a  magnificent  forehead  and  fine  face. 
He  wore  a  mustache,  as  many  actors  did  in  those 
days.  One  night,  Booth  played  "  Richard  III. " 
with  James  Garden,  an  English  actor,  in  the  role, 
as  Richmond.  Those  who  saw  Booth  that  night 
never  forgot  him.  The  soul  of  the  murderous 
Richard  seemed  to  have  found  its  way  back  to 
earth,  and  taken  lodgment  in  Booth's  body.  So 
intense  was  the  interest,  that  several  ladies,  una- 
ble to  endure  the  strain,  were  taken  away  by  their 
escorts.  It  was  a  relief  when  the  play  was  over, 
and  they  could  breathe  freely.  Shortly  after  the 
performance,  Booth  was  seen  to  enter  a  restaurant 
in  company  with  a  lad}'-,  who  proved  to  be  Maggie 
Mitchell,  the  sparkling  soubrette,  then  attracting 
the  attention  of  the  world.  The  appearance  of 
Booth  and  Miss  Mitchell  attracted  no  special  atten- 
tion. A  boy  showed  them  to  a  private  dining 
room ,  and  waited  on  them  himself.  Being  a  young- 
ster, he  heard  more  of  their  conversation  than  he 
should,  and  soon  discovered  that  Booth  was  mak- 
ing violent  love  to  Miss  Mitchell,  who  had  evidently 
rejected  him.  Booth  was  very  much  in  earnest, 
and,   finally  working   himself  into  a  passion,   he 


412  UNION. 

straightened  himself  up  and,  witli  a  dramatic  ges- 
ture, said: 

"Maggie  Mitchell,  I  love  you!  You  know  I 
speak  the  truth.  Should  you  reject  me  now,  you 
shall  never,  so  help  me  God,  hear  another  word  of 
love  from  me ;  and  I  swear  to  you  that  when  next 
you  hear  from  me,  it  shall  be  in  connection  with 
some  terrible  and  desperate  deed."  * 

Miss  Mitchell,  wlio,  up  to  this  time,  had  been 
tolerably  composed,  began  to  cry  bitterly.  This 
aroused  in  Booth's  breast  the  sense  of  the  gentle- 
man, inherent  in  him,  and  he  attempted  to  soothe 
her.  He  had  entirely  forgotten  the  boy,  who  stood 
at  the  other  end  of  the  room  a  spellbound  spectator. 
At  sight  of  the  lad,  the  actor's  eyes  suddenly  flashed 
witli  anger,  causing  the  youngster  to  tremble  in 
his  shoes;  but  Booth  said  nothing  beyond  asking 
for  some  water.  The  boy  brought  it,  and  in  a  few 
moments  Maggie  Mitchell  became  somewhat  com- 
posed, and  they  left  the  restaurant. 

John  Wilkes  Booth  was  a  moody  man,  who 
seemed  brooding  over  real  or  imaginary  wrongs. 
Sunday,  April  9,  1865,  he  passed  almost  entirely 

*  The  above  is  from  the  personal  statement  of  a  waiter  in 
Merkle's  restaurant,  in  1865,  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and 
Cliestnut  Streets,  who  was  the  boy  in  question,  and  saw  and 
heard  the  above.  This  statement  was  first  published  in  the 
Cincinnati  Tribune  a  year  or  two  ago. 


CONCLUSION. 


413 


alone  with  an  actor  named  Charles  Chrone,  who 
for  a  long  time  played  "  leads  and  heavies"  in  Ben 
De  Bar's  St.  Louis  stock  company.     Mr.   Chrone 


"When  next  you  hear  from  me,  it  shall  be  in  connection 
with  some  terrible  deed." 


says  that  he  discovered  that  there  was  something 
on  Booth's  mind  that  day,  and  he  tried  to  get  at 
the  trouble,  but  was  unable  to  do  so.     His  nature 


414  UNION. 

was  peculiar.  He  was  sometimes  enthusiastic  and 
jolly;  but  usually  Lie  was  taciturn,  and  seemed  to 
be  meditating  on  something.  Cbrone  supposed 
his  present  melancholy  was  the  result  of  some  ad- 
verse criticism  on  his  ability  as  an  actor,  in  which 
he  had  been  unfavorably  contrasted  with  his 
father. 

On  the  fatal  April  14,  1865,  Booth  was  seen 
in  Washington  City.  About  midday,  he  went  to 
Ford's  theatre  on  Tenth  Street.  Harry  Ford  saw 
him  sitting  on  the  steps,  and,  knowing  his  strong 
southern  sentiments,  said: 

"Well,  Booth,  President  Lincoln  and  General 
Grant  are  going  to  witness  Laura  Keene  in  the 
'American  Cousin'  to-night!"  Booth  raised  his 
fierce  eyes  to  the  manager  and  gave  him  a  silent 
stare.  With  a  laugh,  Harr}^  Ford  added:  "Yes, 
Lincoln  and  Grant  will  occupy  one  box,  and  Lee 
and  Jeff  Davis  another.  " 

At  this,  Booth  broke  forth  with : 

"Lee! — Lee  is  a  coward  and  a  traitor  to  his 
country,  or  he  would  never  have  surrendered.  He 
should  have  died  at  his  post,  and  could  have 
whipped  Grant  yet. " 

He  went  away  and  was  seen  no  more  about  the 
theatre,  until  after  the  curtain  had  rung  up  and 
the  performance  begun.  Then  he  came  to  the  the- 
atre, and  as  he  passed  the  box-office,  he  looked  into 


CONCLUSIOX.  415 

the  window,  and,  putting  his  arm  through,  placed 
a  cigar,  which  he  had  partly  smoked,  on  a  shelf 
inside,  and  said,  in  mock  heroic  style: 

"  Whoe'er  this  cigar  does  displace 
Must  meet  Wilkes  Booth  face  to  face." 

Then  he  passed  into  the  theatre,  and  later  in  the 
evening,  while  Mr.  Ford  and  his  assistant  JoeSess- 
ford  were  in  the  treasurer's  office,  they  heard  a 
pistol  shot.  They  thought  at  first  that  it  was  the 
pistol  fired  by  Mr.  Harry  Hawk,  as  Asa  Trenchard 
in  "Our  American  Cousin;"  but  Sessford  said  it 
was  too  early  in  the  evening,  and  suggested  that  it 
must  be  an  accident.  They  opened  a  little  win- 
dow and,  looking  into  the  theatre,  saw  Booth 
crouching  on  the  stage,  with  a  knife  in  his  hand. 
Even  then,  they  could  not  tell  what  bad  happened, 
and  no  one  seemed  to  know.  They  at  first  thought 
that  some  one  had  insulted  Booth,  and  he  had  pur- 
sued the  man  across  the  stage,  and  several  minutes 
elapsed  before  they  learned  the  terrible  truth. 

While  the  interest  of  everybody  was  attracted  to 
the  stage.  Booth  had  entered  the  theatre  unper- 
ceived,  made  his  way  to  the  president's  box  and, 
with  a  Derringer  pistol,  shot  him  in  the  back  of 
the  head.  The  sharp  report  startled,  stunned  and 
petrified  everybody.  The  president  sat  bolt  up- 
right for  a  moment,  then  swayed  and  sank  forward, 


416  UNION. 

while  the  assassin,  leaping  on  the  stage,  holding  a 
gleaming  dagger  in  his  hand,  shouted: 

"  Sic  semper  tyrannis !  "  He  was  booted  and 
spurred  for  the  night  ride,  and  shouting  to  the  au- 
dience: "The  South  is  avenged!"  escaped  by  a 
back  stage  door,  mounted  a  horse  that  was  in  readi- 
ness for  him,  dashed  across  the  Anacostia,and  found 
temporary  shelter  in  Maryland.  In  the  excitement 
and  confusion,  it  was  noticed  by  some  that  he  was 
quite  lame,  and  limped  as  he  ran  from  the  stage. 

Laura  Keene  the  actress  was  one  of  the  first  to 
realize  the  awful  truth.  She  saw  the  president 
swaying  in  his  chair  and  ran  to  him  as  he  fell. 
She  clasped  his  dying  head  in  her  arms,  and 
his  life-blood  stained  her  beautiful  robes,  while 
her  tears  mingled  with  those  of  the  grief-stricken 
and  horrified  friends  and  relatives.  The  president 
never  spoke  after  he  was  shot.  He  was  carried  to 
a  house  near,  and  expired  next  morning  at  twenty- 
two  minutes  past  seven  o'clock.  There  was  a  con- 
spiracy to  kill  Lincoln,  Johnson,  the  vice-president, 
and  Seward,  secretary  of  state.  An  assault  was 
made  on  Seward,  and  both  he  and  his  son  were 
dangerously  stabbed;  but  they  recovered.  For 
awhile,  there  was  the  wildest  excitement  in  Wash- 
ington. People  believed  that  there  was  a  general 
and  wide-spread  conspiracy  to  overthrow  the  coun- 
try by  assassination ;  but  the  conspiracy  evidently 


CONCLUSION.  417 

never  extended  beyond  a  few  deluded  fanatics, 
who  should  have  been  kept  in  madhouses  to  pre- 
vent their  doing  injury. 

Near  Front  Koyal,  in  Virginia,  there  still  stands 
the  old  Garrett  Homestead.  About  the  ISth  day 
of  April,  Captain  Jett  and  a  handsome  young  man, 
who  was  quite  lame,  came  to  the  house.  Jett  told 
Mr.  Garrett  that  the  stranger  was  a  wounded  Con- 
federate soldier ;  that  he  had  surrendered  with  Lee's 
army  and  gone  home  to  Maryland,  where  they  de- 
manded that  he  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  which 
he  would  not  do.  and  that  he  was  now  on  his  way 
to  join  Johnston's  army  in  North  Carolina. 

"  Of  course,  in  that  case,  I  will  do  what  I  can 
for  him,"  said  the  farmer,  who  had  entertained 
some  suspicious  that  they  were  not  what  they  pre- 
tended to  be. 

This  handsome  stranger  had  very  little  to  say. 
He  spent  most  of  his  time  alone,  or  with  Mr. 
Garrett's  son  William,  who  had  been  a  Confeder- 
ate soldier.  He  talked  most  with  the  children,  and 
esjjeciall}'  a  little  three-year-old  girl,  of  whom  he 
became  very  fond,  and  called  his  little  blue -eyed 
pet.  For  hours  he  would  lie  on  the  grass  in  the 
yard  alone  and  speak  with  no  one.  While  pla}-- 
ing  with  some  of  the  younger  children  on  the  grass, 
a  little  girl  saw  on  his  arm  the  tattooed  initials 
"J.  W.  B." 
27 


418  UNION. 

"  What  are  those  letters  for?"  she  asked. 

"  Why,  child,  those  are  the  initials  of  my  name, 
— James  W.  Boyd.  " 

This  was  the  name  by  which  Captain  Jett  had 
introduced  him.  Mr.  Boyd  claimed  to  be  from 
Baltimore,  and  stated  that  he  was  there  when  the 
Massachusetts  troops  were  attacked.  When  he 
came  to  the  Garrett  house,  he  had  a  very  rude  pair 
of  crutches;  but  William  Garrett,  who  had  been 
wounded  in  the  Confederate  arm}',  and  still  had  a 
fine  pair  of  crutches,  gave  them  to  him.  William 
Garrett  also  had  a  Confederate  uniform,  which  the 
pretended  Mr.  Boyd  wanted,  and  agreed  to  ex- 
change with  him. 

"  I  am  going  back  into  the  army  and  need  youv 
uniform;  and  3^ou  are  going  to  be  a  citizen  and 
need  my  citizen's  clothes,"  he  argued. 

It  was  well  for  Mr.  Garrett  that  the  exchange 
was  not  made. 

There  was  nothing  whatever  in  the  man's  manner 
that  would  lead  one  to  suspect  that  he  was  the  terri- 
ble criminal  he  afterward  proved  to  be.  Tiie  first 
night  he  was  at  the  Garrett  house,  he  slept  in  the 
same  room  with  Jack  and  William  Garrett.  The 
next  day,  he  was  with  William  Garrett  most  of 
the  day,  without  arousing  his  suspicions.  William 
had  a  pistol,  and  they  went  to  shoot  at  a  mark. 
The  stranger  claimed  to  be  an  excellent  marksman, 


CONCLUSION.  419 

and  said  that  he  could  fire  five  balls  in  succession 
through  a  knot-hole  in  the  gate  some  two  inches 
in  diameter.  Taking  a  position  about  two  rods 
off,  he  fired  all  five  shots  and,  leaning  on  his 
crutches,  sent  William  to  ascertain  the  result.  As 
he  could  find  no  mark  of  the  bullets  on  the  gate, 
Boyd  insisted  that  they  had  all  gone  through  the 
knot-hole  in  the  gate.  When  they  came  to  reload 
the  pistol,  however,  they  found  all  the  five  bullets 
still  in  it,  and  he  laughed  as  heartily  as  any  at  the 
mishap. 

One  day,  while  the  family  were  at  dinner.  Jack 
Garrett,  who  had  been  to  town,  brought  a  paper 
in,  saying: 

"  President  Lincoln  has  been  shot,  and  they  have 
offered  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  man 
who  did  it. " 

"Gracious!  don't  I  wish  he  would  come  this 
way,  and  I  could  capture  him!"  said  William. 

The  lame  stranger  turned  his  melancholy  eyes 
upon  him,  and  asked: 

"  Would  you  betray  him  for  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  if  you  could?" 

"  I  would,  indeed.  One  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars is  a  great  lot  of  money. " 

The  stranger  turned  away  and  became  thought- 
ful, and  had  very  little  to  say  after  that.  Some 
time  after  that,  the  man  called  Harold  came  from 


420  UNION. 

Bowling  Green,  and  he  and  Boyd  were  seen  talk- 
ing together  for  a  long  time.  This  was  the  first 
time  that  Mr.  Garrett  had  his  suspicions  fully 
aroused.  On  the  way  back  from  the  woods,  they 
paused  near  the  fence  and  held  a  long  con  vei'sation. 
Then  Boyd  came  to  the  house  and  was  standing  on 
the  porch  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  when  some  soldiers 
passed  down  the  road  toward  Bowling  Green.  He 
seemed  very  uneasy,  and  Mr.  Garrett  said  to  him: 

"  You  seem  very  much  excited.  Have  you  been 
doing  anything  that  makes  you  afraid  of  soldiers? 
K  you  have,  you  will  have  to  find  some  other  place 
to  stay  than  here. " 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  quickly  replied.  "  I  did  get  into 
a  little  difficulty  over  in  Maryland,  and  one  man  I 
believe  was  killed ;  but  it  was  nothing  with  which 
the  soldiers  could  possibly  have  anything  todo. " 
Shortly  after  this,  he  and  Harold  again  went  off  into 
the  wood  and  did  not  come  back  until  nearly  night. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Garrett  and  his  two  sons  had 
discussed  the  matter  well,  and  finally  decided  that 
the  two  men  must  be  members  of  Mosby's  gang, 
and  that  their  object  probably  was  to  steal  horses. 
On  their  return,  Mr.  Garrett  informed  them  that 
they  could  not  sleep  in  the  house. 

"  Why  can't  we  sleep  in  the  house?"  the  lame 
man  asked.  This  man,  as  the  reader  supposes, 
was   none   other  than  John  Wilkes  Booth.      "  If 


CONCLUSION.  421 

you  will  not  let  us  sleep  in  the  house,  let  us  sleep 
under  the  house. " 

"  That  would  not  do,  for  the  dogs  would  get 
after  you. " 

"  Let  us  go  into  one  of  the  outbuildings,  then," 
plead  the  lame  man.  To  this  Mr.  Garrett  finally 
consented,  and  they  went  into  the  barn,  which  was 
filled  on  one  side  with  corn-blade  fodder,  the  other 
side  containing  a  lot  of  farming  utensils  and  fur- 
niture belonging  to  refugees  from  Front  Royal. 
After  they  went  to  the  barn,  William  Garrett,  still 
fearing  they  might  be  horse  thieves,  went  out  and 
locked  the  door  with  a  padlock  on  the  outside,  so 
they  could  not  get  out  without  making  a  noise; 
but  on  returning  to  the  house  he  was  still  not  sat- 
isfied, and  told  his  brother  Jack  they  would  take 
their  pistols  and  go  and  sleep  in  the  corn  crib  near 
the  barn,  that  they  might  be  ready  to  prevent  any 
attempt  to  steal  their  horses. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  they  jvere 
awakened  by  a  terrible  commotion  at  the  house, 
and  both  Jack  and  William  ran  to  see  what  was 
the  trouble.  They  found  their  father  in  his  night 
clothes  in  the  custody  of  the  soldiers,  who  threat- 
ened to  kill  him  if  he  did  not  reveal  the  where- 
abouts of  the  two  men.  Jack  Garrett,  coming  up, 
said: 

"  I  will  show  you  where  the  two  men  are, "  and 


432  UNION. 

the  officers  released  Mr.  Garrett  and  took  his  two 
sons  into  custody.  "The  men  are  in  the  barn," 
Jack  added. 

"  Show  us  the  way,"  commanded  the  officer,  and 
a  moment  later  the  soldiers  had  surrounded  the 
barn,  while  Jack  and  William  were  kept  under  ar- 
rest. One  of  the  detectives  called  the  name  of 
Booth  and  demanded  his  surrender,  and,  unlocking 
the  door,  pushed  Jack  Garrett  in,  with  orders  for 
him  to  go  and  tell  the  others  to  come  out.  Jack 
Garrett,  trembling  with  dread,  approached  the  point 
where  Booth  was  lying  on  the  corn  blades  and  said  : 

"  The  sohliers  are  here  after  you,  and  they  want 
you  to  surrender.  If  you  don't  come  out,  they 
threaten  to  bum  the  barn  and  destroy  our  property. " 

"  Get  out  of  here,  3'ouiig  man,  or  I  will  take 
your  life,"  Booth  whispered,  desperately.  "You 
have  betrayed  me. " 

Jack  Garrett  tried  to  convince  him  of  the  folly 
of  resistance  and  appealed  to  Booth  to  prevent  the 
destruction  of  property.  Booth  grew  violent, 
threatened  to  kill  him,  and  Jack  came  out  and  told 
the  officer  that  he  would  not  surrender.  The  offi- 
cer then  placed  the  Garrett  brothers  a  short  distance 
from  the  barn  and  set  a  light  directly  in  front  of 
them.  Two  men  were  placed  to  guard  them  with 
instructions  to  kill  them  at  the  first  shot  Booth  or 
his  companion  fired  at  any  of  the  soldiers. 


CONCLUSION.  423 

Booth,  who  had  been  watching  the  proceeding 
through  a  crack  in  the  barn,  on  hearing  the  order 
of  the  officer,  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice: 

"  That  is  unfair ;  those  men  are  innocent.  These 
people  do  not  know  who  I  am. " 

The  officer  revoked  the  order  he  had  given,  and 
Colonel  Conger,  one  of  the  detectives,  ordered 
William  to  pile  dry  brush  against  the  corner  of  the 
barn,  so  that  it  could  be  fired.  He  had  commenced 
doing  this,  when  Booth  called  to  him: 

"  Young  man,  you  had  better  stop  that.  If  you 
put  any  more  against  that  place,  I  will  shoot  you. " 

Colonel  Conger  then  ordered  William  to  stop, 
and  Lieutenant  Baker  began  a  parley  for  the  sur- 
render of  the  fugitives.  Booth  was  determined 
from  the  first  that  he  would  not  be  taken  alive, 
and  he  so  informed  Lieutenant  Baker.  Harold, 
however,  wanted  to  give  himself  up,  and  Booth, 
after  calling  him  an  arrant  coward,  virtually  drove 
him  out  of  the  barn  into  the  hands  of  the  officers. 
Another  long  parley  between  Baker  and  Booth  en- 
sued, during  which  Booth  begged  the  officer  to 
draw  his  men  ofi'  fifty  yards,  then  twenty-five 
yards,  and  at  last  came  down  to  ten  yards,  and 
give  him  a  chance  for  his  life. 

"Be  fair,  captain,"  said  Booth,  coolly — "be 
fair  and  give  me  a  show  for  my  life.  I  could  have 
killed  you  a  dozen  times  to-night;  but  I  took  you 


.  424  UNION. 

to  be  a  brave  man.  Now  give  me  a  chance  for 
my  life." 

"  You  must  surrender, "  replied  Baker.  "  We 
came  to  take  you  prisoner,  not  to  kill  you." 

"I  will  never  be  taken  alive,"  retorted  Booth. 
"  You  may  make  up  your  mind  I  will  light  to  the 
death." 

Hardly  had  the  last  words  died  upon  his  lips, 
before  a  blaze  shot  up  among  the  dry  fodder. 
Colonel  Conger  had,  during  the  talk,  slipped  around 
to  the  back  of  the  barn  and,  lighting  a  handful  of 
dry  straw,  had  passed  it  through  a  crack  in  the 
boards  and  fired  the  building.  The  combustible 
material  inside  the  barn  burned  like  tinder,  and  in 
a  moment  the  whole  inside  of  the  building  was  a 
blaze  of  light,  and  in  the  middle  Booth  was  seen 
leaning  on  his  crutches,  with  his  carbine  in  his 
hands,  trying  to  get  a  shot  at  his  enemies.  He 
could  not  see  beyond  the  light  which  surrounded 
him,  while  those  outside  could  see  plainly.  At 
last  when  the  fire  was  fast  approaching  him,  he 
started  for  the  door  as  if  about  to  take  his  last  des- 
perate chance  for  life.  He  had  only  advanced  a 
step  or  two,  when  Boston  Corbett,  a  sergeant,  got 
an  aim  at  him  through  a  crack.  There  was  a  sharp 
report,  and  Booth  dropped  his  crutches  and  fell, 
shot  through  the  neck. 

Lieutenant  Baker  and  William  Garrett  ran  into 


BOOTU    WAS    SEEN    LEANING    ON    HIS    CRUTCHES 

ENEMIES. 


TRYING    TO    GET    A    SHOT    AT    HIS 


CONCLUSION.  425 

the  burning  building  and  carried  him  to  the  house 
and  laid  him  on  the  porch  with  his  head  toward 
the  door.  He  made  several  efforts  to  speak ;  but 
only  inarticulate  gurgling  sounds  issued  from  his 
wounded  throat.  They  tried  to  place  him  on  a 
mattress ;  but  he  would  not  let  them ;  nor  would 
he  allow  them  to  put  a  pillow  under  his  head.  He 
was  suffering  such  intolerable  agony,  that  to  move 
him  was  torture.  He  could  utter  but  few  words 
for  the  wound  was  in  his  throat. 

"  Tell  mother,"  he  began,  and  then  the  detective 
who  bent  his  ear  close  to  his  lips  heard  him  add, 
"  that  I  died  for  my  country. " 

The  detectives  would  allow  no  one  to  come  near 
him,  for  they  wanted  all  the  secrets  he  had  to  re- 
veal. They  were  constantly  bending  over  him,  to 
catch  any  word  he  might  utter.  When  they  wanted 
anything  they  ordered  the  Garrett  girls,  who  pale 
and  horrified  stood  on  the  porch  gazing  on  the 
scene,  to  bring  it  to  them.  Pieces  of  cloth  saturated 
with  brandy  were  frequently  held  to  Booth's  lips, 
and  he  sucked  it  eagerly.  This  seemed  to  revive 
him  for  the  time  being;  but  he  was  of  course  grow- 
ing weaker  all  the  while.  An  eye-witness  to  the 
scene  said : 

"  I  can  never  forget  the  sad  scenes  of  that  night. 
They  fixed  themselves  indelibly  upon  my  mind. 
I  remained  around  during  all  the  bustle  that  at- 


426  UNION. 

tended  tbe  affair  and  looked  on,  little  realizing  the 
meaning  of  what  was  passing.  Booth  died  just  as 
the  sun  came  up." 

This  is  the  history  of  America's  greatest  assas- 
sination. What  inspired  John  Wilkes  Booth  to 
kill  the  great  and  good  man,  just  as  he  was  bring- 
ing the  nation  from  turmoil,  war  and  bloodshed  to 
peace,  is  a  mystery  to  this  day.  Booth  had  never 
been  active  in  politics  and  certainly  was  derange'd. 
His  was  not  a  family  of  warriors  or  desperadoes, 
but  scholars.  No  one  had  ever  before  deemed 
him  capable  of  a  desperate  or  cruel  act.  His 
brother  Edwin  Booth  lived  to  be  one  of  the  world's 
greatest  Shakespearian  exponents.  Undoubtedly 
the  shadow  of  the  great  historic  crime  that  insep- 
arably connected  the  name  of  Booth  with  that  of 
Lincoln  lay,  throughout  all  his  subsequent  life, 
upon  the  melancholy  spirit  of  Edwin  Booth,  who 
died  this  year  (1893),  and  in  the  same  year,  al- 
most at  the  same  time.  Ford's  Theatre,  in  which 
the  tragedy  occurred,  and  which  had  since  been 
used  by  the  government  as  a  national  museum,  fell 
and  buried  a  number  of  employees  in  its  ruins. 

There  has  never  been  known  such  a  funeral  on 
this  continent  as  that  of  the  martyr  president. 
His  body  was  taken  iu  solemn  procession  to  his 
home  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  by  way  of  Baltimore, 
Philadelphia,    New    York,    Albany    and    western 


CONCLUSION.  427 

cities,  everywhere  receiving  tokens  of  respect  and 
grief.  Funeral  honors  were  displayed  in  many 
cities  of  the  land. 

OnthelSth  of  April,  General  Sherman  arranged 
the  preliminaries  for  the  surrender  of  all  the  re- 
maining Confederate  forces  under  General  John- 
ston, commanding  the  southern  army  in  North  Caro- 
lina, with  the  consent  of  the  Confederate  secretary 
of  war  and  President  Davis.  This  included  the 
basis  of  a  general  peace,  and  a  policy  of  reconstruc- 
tion ;  but  the  Federal  government  rejected  the  prop- 
osition and  ordered  hostilities  to  be  resumed.  On 
the  26th  of  April,  Johnston  finally  surrendered. 

Nearly  all  the  armed  Confederates  had  now  sur- 
rendered. General  Kirby  Smith  and  a  few  men 
leading  the  lives  of  guerillas  rather  than  soldiers 
were  still  at  large.  Jeff  Davis  at  last  lost  all  hope 
and  began  his  flight  across  Georgia,  doubtless  in- 
tending to  make  his  way  to  Mexico.  On  the  10th 
of  May,  he  was  captured  in  Georgia.  On  the  26th 
of  the  same  month,  General  Kirbv  Smith,  the  last 
leader  of  a  military  organization,  surrendered  his 
command,  and  the  last  shadow  of  war  passed  awa}', 
leaving  the  glorious  Union  stronger  and  more  firmly 
cemented  than  ever  before,  and  so,  let  us  hope,  it 
will  remain  until  time  shall  be  no  more. 

We  must  not  end  this  volume  without  personal 
mention  of  some  of  the  characters  in  the  storv,  in 


428  UNION. 

which  the  reader  may  have  some  interest.  Not- 
withstanding Dick  Stevens  failed  to  build  vip  a  great 
southern  empire,  Miss  Lorena  Lancaster,  the  Eng- 
lish beauty,  kept  her  promise,  and  a  year  after  the 
war  closed  she  became  his  wife,  and  they  to-day 
form  one  of  the  happiest  families  in  Charleston. 
Nearly  all  our  southern  friends  came  out  of  the 
war  financial  wrecks ;  but  they  went  to  work  with 
a  hearty  good  will,  building  up  the  devastated 
country,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  South  will  soon 
reach  its  former  power  and  glory,  and  even  surpass 
it.  They  have  learned  a  sad  lesson  ; — let  us  forgive 
them,  take  them  by  the  hand,  call  them  brothers, 
and  remember  their  wrongs  no  more. 

Alec  Stevens  fared  better  than  most  of  his  south- 
ern relatives.  His  father's  plantation  suffered 
little,  save,  as  Alec  puts  it,  "  in  the  loss  of  a  hun- 
dred worthless  niggers."  Alec  got  over  his  love 
affair  with  Elsie  Cole,  when  he  learned  that  all  the 
time  she  had  been  the  wife  of  another.  He  soon 
made  another  discovery  which  was  very  important 
to  his  future  happiness.  It  was  that  his  cousin 
Clara  was  a  very  sweet,  amiable  girl,  and  that  she 
was  very  kind  to  him,  even  though  he  had  turned 
Yankee.  He  found  tljat  he  could  talk  to  her  with- 
out "  feeling  just  like  a  fool, "  and  the  upshot  of  the 
whole  thing  was,  he  and  Clara  were  married  shortly 
after  her  brother  Dick  brought  home  his  wife  from 


CONCLUSION.  429 

England.  Colonel  Cole  survived  tlie  war  but  a 
^iew  mouths,  and  his  son  Charles,  after  vainly  try- 
ing to  resurrect  the  lost  fortune  of  his  parents, 
went  to  California,  where  he  has  been  extensively 
and  profitably  engaged  in  fruit  growing. 

Bill  Simms  lives  at  Eising  Sun,  Indiana,  and  is 
regarded  as  the  champion  liar  of  the  town.  He 
draws  a  pension  of  twenty-two  dollars  per  month, 
quite  sufficient  for  his  modest  wants.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  "  G.  A.  R. "  and  spends  most  of  his 
time  around  Grand  Army  headquarters,  or  the 
offices  of  examining  boards,  telling  stories  of  the 
war  and  "  trying  for  an  increase. "  One,  to  hear 
Bill  and  put  any  confidence  in  one-half  he  says, 
need  not  be  surprised  that  victory  should  perch  on 
the  banners  of  Grant  and  Sherman,  so  long  as  they 
hud  Bill  Simms  with  them.  And  they  would  be 
at  a  loss  to  tell  what  those  generals  would  have 
done,  if  Bill  Simms  had  not  been  along. 

In  Boone  County,  Kentucky,  near  the  old  orig- 
inal Stevens  homestead,  lives  Major  Mark  Stevens, 
now  past  the  meridian  of  life.  He  is  happy  with 
his  children  and  grandchildren  about  him,  while 
his  wife,  once  known  as  the  "  Peerless  Elsie  of 
Charleston, "  seems  to  still  possess  a  matured  beauty, 
to  him  more  lovely  than  when  she  outshone  the 
splendor  of  the  southern  sun.  The  major  is  not 
rich,    but   "well-to-do   in   the  world."     He  often 


430  UNION. 

looks  back  over  the  past  twelve  generations  of  the 
Stevens  family,  to  the  time  when  his  first  ancestor, 
Hernando  Estevan,  touched  the  western  continent 
with  Columbus.  By  stories  of  their  forefathers  for 
the  last  four  hundred  years,  in  establishing  this 
great  republic,  he  tries  to  inspire  his  children  and 
grandchildren  with  a  love  for  this  land  of  the  free 
and  home  of  the  brave,  which  should  be  dear  to 
every  American,  whether  native  or  adopted,  and 
which  we  trust  may  forever  remain  one,  complete 
and  indissoluble  Union. 


APPENDIX. 


II 


CHAPTER  I. 

ANDREW    JOHXSON    AND   THE    RECONSTRUCTION. 

At  no  time  during  the  great  struggle  of  our  coun- 
try was  Abraham  Lincoln  more  needed  than  at  his 
death.  After  the  conflict  of  arms  came  the  conflict 
of  reorganization,  and  the  same  hand  that  had  steered 
the  ship  of  state  safely  through  the  dangerous  reefs 
was  now  needed  to  land  her  in  port.  Six  hours  after 
the  death  of  President  Lincoln,  Andrew  Johnson, 
his  constitutional  successor,  took  the  oath  of  office  as 
president  of  the  United  States,  which  was  adminis- 
tered by  Chief  Justice  Chase. 

It  was  believed  by  many,  that  the  assassination  of 
President  Lincoln,  was  only  part  of  a  plan,  in  which 
the  murder  of  the  cabinet  ministers  and  i^rominent 
Republicans  was  contemplated.  Jefferson  Davis  and 
many  prominent  southern  people  were  thought  to  be 
in  the  plot,  and  large  rewards  were  offered  for  them ; 
but  there  was  never  any  evidence  implicating  the  chief 
rebel  or  any  of  his  officials.  It  seems  to  have  been 
only  a  plot  concocted  by  a  few  fanatical,  maddened 
and  disappointed  southerners  about  Washington. 

After  the  terrible  convulsions  produced  by  the  civil 
war,  by  which  a  deep-rooted  social  system  had  been 
overthrown,  by  the  euactment,  early  in  1865,  of  the 
XIII  Amendment  to  the  national  constitution,  the 
country  was  far  from  gliding  at  once  into  that  peace 
28  433 


434  UNION. 

and  trauquillity,  which  was  so  much  desired.     The 
XIII  Amendment  was  as  follows: 

"  Section  I.  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  ser- 
vitude, except  as  punishment  for  crimes,  whereof  the 
party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted,  shall  exist  with- 
in the  United  States,  or  any  place  subject  to  their 
jurisdiction. 

"Section  II.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce 
this  article  by  appropriate  legislation." 

The  slave  was  free;  now  what  was  going  to  be  done 
with  him?  That  was  a  serious  question  in  that  day. 
It  is  a  serious  question  at  this  day.  The  leaders  of 
the  Eepublican  party  were  eager  to  have  the  black 
become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  with  all  tiie 
rights  and  j^rivileges  of  any  white  man.  The  Dem- 
ocrats claimed  that  their  pretended  symjDathy  for  the 
negro  was  only  to  get  his  vote,  to  perjDetuate  that 
party  in  power.  Thus  the  unfortunate  black  man 
has  been  a  bone  of  contention,  muclito  his  detriment, 
between  the  two  great  political  parties  ever  since  he 
became  a  political  factor. 

President  Johnson  took  a  preliminary  step  toward 
reorganization,  on  April  29,  1865,  when  he  jDro- 
claimed  the  removal  of  restrictions  on  commercial  in- 
tercourse between  all  the  States.  A  month  later  he 
issued  a  proclamation  stating  the  terms  by  which  the 
people  of  the  late  seceded  States,  with  specified  excep- 
tions, might  receive  full  amnesty  and  pardon,  and  be 
reinvested  with  the  right  to  exercise  the  functions  of 
citizenship,  supposed  to  have  been  destroyed  by  par- 
ticipation in  the  insurrection.  This  was  followed  by 
the  appointment  of  provisional  governors  for  seven  of 
those  States  Avhich  had  formed  tlie  original  fabric 
known  as  the  "Confederate  States  of  America," 
clothed  with  authority  to  assemble  citizens  in  con- 


APPENDIX. 


435 


ventioii,  who  had  taken  the  amnest}'  oath  with  power 
to  reorganize  State  governments,  and  secure  the  elec- 
tion of  representatives  in  the  national  congress. 

When  Andrew  Johnson  was  inaugurated  president, 
there  were  painful  apprehensions  among  men  who 
knew  hira  intimately,  that  he  would  not  act  with  the 
j)arty  in  power.  He  was  from 
Tennessee  and  was  strongly  sus- 
pected of  Democratic  proclivities, 
which  at  this  time  were  rejiugnant 
to  the  Republicans.  His  nomi- 
nation and  election  on  the  ticket 
with  President  Lincolu,  has 
proved  the  folly  of  political 
comjoromises.  The  Republicans 
claimed  that  they  had  put  down 
the  rebellion,  and  that  they  should 
have  the  reorganization.  A  pilot 
was  needed  at  the  helm,  possessed 
of  a  combination  of  moral  and  in- 
tellectual forces  of  a  rare  order, 
strong  and  unswerving  convic- 
tions, sobriety  of  conduct,  firm- 
ness of  will,  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  men,  an  accurate  and  impartial  judgment,  a  will- 
ingness to  take  counsel,  a  clear  perception  of  righteous- 
ness, and  all  the  acuteness  of  a  true  statesman. 

Much  as  historians  and  politicians  have  attempted 
to  mask  the  cause  of  the  quarrel  between  Johnson  and 
his  Republican  cabinet  and  congress,  it  arose  on  the 
very  subject  it  might  have  been  expected  to  rise,  "  the 
enfranchisement  of  the  negro. "  Johnson  was  a  south- 
ern man  with  all  the  prejudices  and  instincts  of  a 
southerner.  Although  of  humble  parentage,  by  his 
own  indomitable  will  and  energy,  he  had  worked  his 
way  up,  until  he  now  occupied  the  chief  place  in  the 


Andrew  Johnson. 


436  UNIOX. 

nation.  He  was  loyal  to  his  government  in  its  hour 
of  peril ;  but  he  could  not  bring  himself  to  believe  in 
the  doctrine  of  enfranchisement  of  the  negro.  ]S'ot 
onl}'  did  it  smack  of  the  "  doctrine  of  equality,"  offen- 
sive to  every  southern  man,  but  he  seriously  doubted 
the  propriety  of  placing  the  ballot  in  the  hands  of  a 
horde  of  ignorant  blacks  who  must  become  the  tools 
of  scheming  politicians.  The  Republican  party, 
partly  from  a  sense  of  right  to  men  made  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  and  partly  from  hope  of  perpetuat- 
ing their  party  in  power,  held  that  now  that  the  slave 
was  free,  he  should  be  made  a  citizen.  Johnson, 
driven  to  extremes,  proposed  to  make  intelligence  the 
test,  to  grant  every  negro  capable  of  reading  the 
Amendment  that  made  him  free,  or  who  owned  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  property,  the  right  to  vote.  This  did 
not  answer  the  purpose  of  the  opposition,  who  knew 
that  there  were  perhaps  not  a  dozen  negroes  in  Mis- 
sissippi who  could  read  or  write.  The  negro  problem 
was  far  from  being  solved,  and  wise  and  patriotic  men 
began  to  seriously  consider  the  matter.  Of  course 
the  colored  vote  of  the  South  far  exceeded  the  white 
vote,  and  many  thinking  men,  regardless  of  party,  to- 
day doubt  the  propriety  of  turning  the  government 
of  those  southern  States  over  to  that  mass  of  unintel- 
ligent beings. 

The  quarrel  between  Johnson  and  the  liepulMican 
party  grew  more  and  more  acrimonious.  The  })resi- 
dent  was  charged  with  being  more  friendly  to  the  hite 
enemies  of  his  country  than  its  defenders.  As  in  all 
quarrels,  both  parties  were  to  blame.  Johnson  was 
stubborn  and  unwilling  to  take  advice  from  any  one. 
The  Republicans  ])elieved  that  the  enfrnnchisement 
of  the  negroes  would  give  them  the  "  Solid  South." 
They  did  not  understand  the  negro,  or  they  would 
have  seen  that,  as  a  political  factor,  he  would  be  more 


APPENDIX.  437 

likely  to  turn  against  them,  than  act  with  them.  The 
negro  does  not  live  for  the  past,  nor  the  future,  but 
for  the  present.  The  result  is  that  the  Eepublicans 
were  surprised  and  disappointed  in  him,  though 
hardly  willing  eveu  to  this  day  to  admit  it. 

The  cpiarrel  between  the  Republicans  and  Johnson 
became  more  and  more  earnest.  People  looked  with 
great  anxiety  to  the  assembling  of  congress,  hoping 
for  some  relief  from  the  impending  danger. 

The  39th  Congress  assembled  December  4,  18G5, 
and  took  up,  among  the  first  orders  of  business,  the 
subject  of  reorganization.  On  the  first  day  of  the 
session,  congress  agreed  by  a  joint  resolution  to  appoint 
a  joint  committee  to  be  composed  of  nine  members  of 
the  house  and  six  of  the  senate,  to  "  inquire  into  the 
condition  of  the  States  which  formed  the  so-called 
Confederate  States  of  America,  and  report  tliose  en- 
titled to  be  represented  in  either  house  of  congress, 
with  leave  to  report  at  any  time  by  bill  or  otherwise ; 
and  until  such  report  shall  have  been  made  and  finally 
acted  upon  by  congress,  no  member  shall  be  received 
in  either  house  from  the  so-called  Confederate  States, 
and  all  papers  relating  to  the  representatives  of  the 
States  shall  be  referred  to  said  committee."  This 
body  was  known  as  the  "  Reconstruction  Committee." 

This  act  of  congress  was  a  virtual  condemnation  of 
the  action  of  the  president.  It  was  an  interference 
of  the  representatives  of  the  people  with  his  policy  of 
reorganization,  and  he  was  highly  olfended.  His 
opposition  to  the  legislative  branch  soon  became  open 
and  active.  In  his  public  addresses,  he  displayed, 
in  a  most  unguarded  way,  his  antipathy  to  the  legis- 
lative branch  of  the  government.  He  exercised  the 
veto  power  as  no  other  man  save  Grover  Cleveland 
has  done.  In  February,  1800,  he  vetoed  an  act  for 
enlarging  the  operations  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau, 


438  UNION. 

which  had  been  established  for  the  relief  of  freed  ref- 
ugees, and  for  the  cultivation  of  abandoned  lands. 
In  March,  he  vetoed  an  act  known  as  the  Civil  Rights 
Law,  which  was  intended  to  secure  to  all  citizens, 
without  regard  to  color  or  previous  condition  of  ser- 
vitude, equal  rights  in  the  republic.  These  acts  be- 
came law  by  the  constitutional  two-thirds  vote  of  both 
houses.  The  president  was  soon  involved  in  a  bitter 
quarrel  with  his  cabinet,  and  all  resigned  save  Ed- 
ward Stanton,  secretary  of  war.  He  wns  urged  to  re- 
main, and,  by  doing  so,  became  an  object  of  the 
president's  bitter  hatred. 

Notwithstanding  the  quarrel  between  congress  and 
the  president,  the  work  of  reorganization  went  on; 
and  on  the  29th  of  July,  after  a  long  and  laborious 
session,  congress  adjourned.  The  president  had  by 
proclamation  on  April  2d,  formally  declared  the  civil 
war  at  an  end.  The  first  fruits  of  the  congressional 
plan  of  reorganization  were  seen  in  the  restoration  of 
the  State  of  Tennessee  to  the  Union,  six  days  before 
the  adjournment  of  congiess. 

Meanwhile,  notable  events  in  the  foreign  relations 
of  the  government  had  occurred.  The  emperor  of 
France  had  been  informed  by  Secretary  Seward  that 
the  continuation  of  French  troops  in  Mexico  was  not 
agreeable  to  the  United  States;  and  on  April  5,  ISOd, 
Napoleon's  minister  for  foreign  affairs  gave  assurance 
to  our  government  that  those  troops  should  be  with- 
drawn within  a  specified  time.  This  was  done;  and 
the  Grand  Duke  ^[aximilian  of  x\ustria,  whom  Louis 
Na]ioleon  had,  by  military  power,  placed  on  the  throne 
in  the  neighboring  republic,  with  the  title  of  emperor 
of  Mexico,  was  deserted  by  the  perfidious  ruler  of 
France.  The  deceived  and  betrayed  Maximilian, 
after  a  struggle  against  the  native  republican  govern- 
ment for  awhile,  was  captured  at  Qneretero  and  shot, 


APPENDIX.  439 

and  liis  loving  wife,  Curlotta,  overwhelmed  bv  her 
misfortune  and  grief,  became  hopelessly  insane.  Such 
was  the  sorrowful  ending  of  one  of  the  schemes  of 
the  emperor  of  France  for  the  gratification  of  his  am- 
bition. He  had  longed  to  aid  the  Confederates,  with 
a  hope  that  the  severance  of  our  Union  would  give 
him  an  opportunity  to  successfully  defy  the  "  Monroe 
Doctrine,"  and  extend  the  dominion  of  the  Latin 
race  on  the  American  continent,  as  well  as  monarchi- 
cal institutions.  It  is  thought  by  well-informed  his- 
torians, that  Louis  Napoleon  picked  a  quarrel  with 
Mexico,  solely  to  seize  that  weak  country,  and  have 
the  soldiers  on  the  frontier  ready  to  aid  the  southern 
Confederacy;  but  the  quarrel  and  seizure  of  ]\Iexico 
came  too  late.  Already  the  war  of  the  rebellion  was 
waning,  and  it  was  ended  before  he  could  render  any 
effective  aid. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  English  ministry  was 
anxious  to  render  service  to  the  cause  of  the  Confed- 
eracy. In  fact,  our  country  has  never  had  a  foreign 
or  domestic  quarrel,  in  which  Great  Britain  did  not 
openly  or  secretly  espouse  the  other  cause.  The  Brit- 
ish government  not  only  desired  to  aid  the  Confeder- 
acy, but  did  so,  until  the  enormous  reserve  power  of 
the  United  States  alarmed  them,  when  they  aban- 
doned the  insurgents,  whom  they  had  deceived  with 
false  promises,  and  sneeringly  called  their  ]iolitical 
organization  the  "  so-called  Confederate  States  of 
America. "  Notwithstanding  this  faithlessness  to  their 
traditions  and  fairly  implied,  if  not  absolutely  stated, 
treaty  stipulations  on  the  part  of  tlie  rulers  of  Great 
Britain,  our  government  was  faithful  to  them  all. 
When,  in  1866,  a  military  organization  of  Irish  resi- 
dents in  our  country,  known  as  the  Fenian  Brother- 
hood, associated  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  freeing 
Ireland  from  British  domination,  in  May  and  June, 


440  UNION. 

for  a  formidable  invasion  of  the  neighboring  British 
province  of  Canada,  the  United  States  Government, 
instead  of  investing  them  with  "  belligerent  rights," 
was  true  to  its  pledges  to  Great  Britain  concerning 
neutrality  laws,  interfered  and  suppressed  the  warlike 
movement.  Though  these  are  events  of  the  past  and 
should  not  be  cherished  in  hatred,  we  would  be  foolish 
to  forget  what  may  be  to  our  interest  to  remember,  in 
order  to  guide  our  footsteps  aright  in  the  future. 
There  is  no  reason  why  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  both  people  of  the  same  language  and  nation- 
ality, should  not  be  friendly.  They  are  of  one  com- 
mon ancestry,  and  save  the  political  ditfereucein  their 
governments,  there  is  little  difference  in  their  tastes 
and  desires.  It  is  gratifying  to  note  that,  in  1866, 
a  peaceful  bond  of  union  was  formed  between  the  two 
countries,  by  the  successful  establishment  of  perma- 
nent telegraphic  communication  between  the  two 
countries. 

On  May  15,  1866,  the  ];)resident  vetoed  a  bill  ad- 
mitting Colorado.  On  the  2i»th  of  this  month,  Gen- 
eral Winfield  Scott,  the  hero  of  two  wars,  died  at 
West  Point,  Xew  York. 

Trouble  between  the  white  and  colored  races  in  the 
South  began  soon  after  the  Avar,  aud  continues  yet. 
It  was  no  more  than  might  have  been  expected  when 
the  negro  was  made  apolitical  factor.  On  July  30th, 
there  was  a  great  riot  in  New  Orleans,  in  which  many 
colored  people  were  killed. 

On  December  14,  1866,  congress  passed  a  bill  grant- 
ing the  elective  franchise  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
to  persons  "  without  any  distinction  on  account  of 
color  or  race."  The  president  vetoed  the  bill,  on  the 
7th  of  January,  1867,  when  it  was  immediately  passed 
by  the  constitutional  majority  of  both  houses  in  its 
favor. 


APPENDIX.  441 

On  the  same  da}",  Mr.  Ashley  of  Ohio,  ai'ose  in  his 
place,  and  charged  "  Andrew  Johnson,  Vice  president 
and  acting-president  of  the  United  States,  with  the 
commission  of  acts,  which,  in  the  estimation  of  the 
constitution,  are  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors,  for 
which  he  ought  to  be  impeached."  He  arraigned 
the  president  on  the  following  charges:  (1)  In  that 
he  has  corruptly  used  the  appointing  power;  (2)  in 
that  he  has  corru^itly  nseil  the  pardoning  power;  (3) 
in  that  he  has  corruptly  used  the  veto  power;  (4)  in 
that  he  has  corruptly  disjiosed  of  public  property  of 
the  United  States;  and  (5)  in  that  he  has  corruptly 
interfered  in  elections,  and  committed  acts  which, 
in  the  contemplation  of  the  constitution,  are  high 
crimes  and  misdemeanors.  Mr.  Ashley  also  olfered  a 
resolution,  instructing  the  committee  on  the  Judiciary 
to  make  inquiries  on  the  subject.  This  resolution 
was  adopted,  and  Avas  the  first  move  in  the  impeach- 
ment of  Andrew  Johnson,  president  of  the  United 
States,  which  terminated  in  his  trial  in  18G8.  On 
March  1,  18U7,  Xebraska  was  admitted  as  a  State. 

An  act  was  passed  for  limiting  the  authority  of  the 
president  in  making  official  ap})ointments  and  in  re- 
moval from  office.  Among  otiier  provisions,  was  one 
to  deprive  him  of  the  power  to  remove  a  member  of 
the  cabinet  without  permission  of  the  senate,  declar- 
ing they  should  hold  office  for  and  during  the  term 
of  the  president  by  whom  they  had  been  appointed, 
and  for  one  month  thereafter,  subject  to  removal  by 
and  with  the  consent  of  the  senate.  This  law,  known 
as  the  "Tenure  of  Office  Act,"  was  vetoed  by  the 
president,  when  it  was  passed  over  his  veto  by  a  large 
majority.  The  fight  between  the  legislative  and  the  ex- 
ecutive powers  of  the  government  from  this  on  became 
doubly  acrimonious.  Congress  passed  laws  depriv- 
ing him  of  the  power  to  grant  amnesty  and  pardon  to 


443  UNION. 

those  who  had  been  eugaged  in  the  great  rebellion, 
for  a  military  government  in  the  disorganized  States, 
which  were  divided  into  five  districts:  1st,  Virginia, 
2d,  North  and  South  Carolina,  3d,  Georgia  and  Ala- 
bama, 4th,  Mississippi  and  Arkansas,  and  5th,  Lou- 
isiana and  Texas. 

The  thirty-ninth  congress  closed  its  session  at  mid- 
day, March  4,  18(J7,  and  twelve  hours  after,  the  first 
session  of  the  fortieth  congress  was  begun.  The  fight 
between  the  president  and  the  new  congress  was  not 
one  whit  less  bitter.  Both  were  petulant,  aggressive 
and  foolish.  A  hundred  side  issues  became  iuvolved, 
so  that  the  main  subject  of  dispute  was  almost  hidden. 
Johnson  was  charged  with  seeking  to  destroy  the  gov- 
ernment. This  charge  was  as  foolish  as  it  was  false. 
He  had  been  loyal  to  the  Uuion  during  the  war  of 
the  rebellion,  and  no  sane  man,  looking  at  the  matter 
with  unprejudiced  eyes,  can  for  a  moment  believe 
that  he  ever  harbored  such  an  idea.  He  wislied  to 
forgive  the  southern  people  at  once  and  take  theui 
back  as  "erring  brothers."  Perhaps  he  had  his  own 
political  schemes  as  well  as  his  Republican  opponents. 
They  wished  to  enfranchise  the  negro  to  perpetuate 
their  party  in  power.  He  wished  to  issue  a  general 
amnesty  to  the  late  Confederates,  in  order  that  they 
might  have  an  opportunity  to  aid  the  Democratic 
party. 

The  "  Tenure  of  Ofiice  Act"  was  a  slur  on  Johnson, 
and  congress  seemed  determined  to  strip  him  of  offi- 
cial power.  In  violation  of  the  act,  he  removed  the 
secretary  of  war,  Mr.  Stanton,  and  put  General  Grant 
in  his  place.  Johnson's  personal  friends  were  amazed 
at  this  and  declared  that  he  had  gone  too  far.  At 
the  second  session  of  the  fortieth  congress,  the  strife 
showed  no  signs  of  abating.  Tlie  president's  annual 
message  was  so  offensive  in  tone  and  temper,  that, 


APPENDIX.  443 

when  the  usual  resolution  was  offered  in  the  senate  to 
print  it,  Mr.  Sumner  took  fire  and  vehemently  de- 
nounced it  as  a  "libel  and  insult  to  congress."  Wiser 
and  less  impulsive  counsel  prevailed,  and,  while  "the 
tone  and  temper  and  doctrines  of  the  message"  were 
decidedly  condemned, 'it  was  thought  best  to  print  it. 

On  December  5,  1867,  the  judiciary  committee 
offered  the  following  resolution: 

"  Resolved,  That  Andrew  Johnson,  president  of  the 
United  States,  be  impeached  of  high  crimes  and  mis- 
demeanors." After  a  long  debate,  the  resolution  was 
rejected  by  a  decided  majority. 

A  week  later,  the  president  sent  to  congress  a  mes- 
sage, in  which  he  gave  his  reasons  for  removing  the 
secretary  of  war,  whicli  not  being  satisfactory,  the 
senate  reinstated  Stanton,  January  13,  1868,  and 
General  Grant  retired  from  the  office.  The  strife  was 
far  from  being  over,  for,  on  February  21st,  Mr.  John- 
son issued  an  order  directing  Mr.  Stanton  to  vacate 
the  office  of  secretary  of  wjir,  also  another  order  to 
Adjutant-General  Lorenzo  B.  Thomas  to  enter  and 
take  the  place  of  the  deposed  secretary.  Mr.  Stanton 
refused  to  be  deposed  in  this  manner,  and  congress 
Avas  driven  to  a  frenzy.  On  the  following  day,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1868,  the  house  of  representatives,  by  an 
almost  strictly  party  vote  of  12(5  to  47,  "  Resolved, 
That  Andrew  Johnson,  president  of  the  United  States, 
be  impeached  of  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors." 

The  charges  against  liini  were,  (1)  unlawfully  or- 
dering the  removal  of  Mr.  Stanton  as  secretary  of 
war,  in  violation  of  the  provisions  of  the  "  Tenure  of 
Office  Act;"  (2)  unlawfully  appointing  General  Lo- 
renzo B.  Thomas  as  secretary  of  war  ad  interim;  (3) 
substantially  the  same  as  the  second  charge,  with  the 
additional  declaration  that  there  was,  at  the  time  of 
the  appointment  of  General  Thomas,  no  vacancy  in 


444  UNION. 

the  office  of  secretary  of  war;  (4)  conspiring  with 
Lorenzo  B.  Thomas  and  other  persons  to  the  House 
unknown,  to  prevent,  by  intimidation  and  tlireats, 
Mr.  Stanton,  the  legally  appointed  secretary  of  war, 
from  holding  his  office;  (5)  conspiring  with  (xeneral 
Thomas  and  others  to  hiiider  the  execution  of  the 
■Tenure  of  Office  Act,  and,  in  pursuance  of  this  con- 
spiracy, attempting  to  prevent  Mr.  Stanton  from  act- 
ing as  secretary  of  war;  (6)  conspiring  with  (General 
Thomas  and  others  to  take  forcible  possession  of  the 
war  department;  (7)  and  (8)  substantially  charged 
conspiring  to  prevent  the  execution  of  the  Tenure  of 
Office  Act,  and  for  taking  possession  of  the  war  de- 
partment; (?)  charged  that  the  president  called  be- 
fore him  the  commander  of  the  forces  of  Washington 
and  declared  to  him  that  a  law,  passed  the  30th  of 
June,  18t)7,  directing  that  "  all  orders  and  instruc- 
tions relating  to  the  military  operations,  issued  by 
the  president  or  secretary  of  war,  shall  be  issued  by 
the  general  of  the  army,  and,  in  case  of  his  inalnlity, 
through  the  next  in  rank,"  was  unconstitutional  and 
not  binding  on  the  commander  of  the  department  at 
Washington,  the  intent  being  to  induce  the  com- 
mander to  violate  the  law  and  to  obey  the  orders  issued 
by  the  president  directly. 

For  the  impeachment  and  prosecution  of  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  the  house  of  representatives 
appointed  the  following  managers:  Thaddeus  Stevens 
of  Pennsylvania,  Benjamin  F.  Butler  of  Massachu- 
setts, John  A.  Bingham  of  Ohio,  George  S.  Boutwell 
of  Massachusetts,  James  F.  Wilson  of  Iowa,  Thomas 
Williams  of  Pennsylvania,  and  John  A.  Logan  of 
Illinois. 

Two  additional  charges  were  adopted  against  the 
president,  on  March  o,  18(iS.  Tlie  hrst  charged  him 
with  making  inflammatory  speeches,  during  a  jour- 


APPENDIX.  ■  445 

ney  lie  made  through  the  country.  The  second  that 
the  president  had  in  August,  ISGfi,  in  a  public  speech 
in  \Vashiugton,  declared  that  congress  was  not  a  body 
authorized  by  the  constitution  to  exercise  legislative 
powers.  The  Democratic  members  of  the  house, 
forty-live  in  number,  entered  a  formal  protest  to  the 
whole  proceeding.  This  makes  the  impeachment  of 
Andrew  Johnson  purely  a  partisan  measure,  and  it 
was  wholly  unworthy  patriotic  Americans,  acting  in 
their  cool,  sober  senses.  Johnson  had  not  the  power 
to  check  the  fiery,  impetuous  course  of  tlie  politicians, 
flushed  with  victory  over  the  South,  as  Lincoln  could 
have  done,  had  he  lived,  and  as  he  did  do  during  his 
administration. 

The  United  States  senate  was  organized  into  a  high 
court  of  impeachment,  with  Chief  Justice  Salmon  P. 
Chase  as  president,  and  on  March  30th,  the  trial  be- 
gan. The  details  of  that  trial  are  too  long  for  this 
volume.  It  continued  until  May  25th,  when  the 
president  was  acquitted.  Secretary  Stanton  left  the 
cabinet,  and  General  John  ]M.  Schofield  wasapjiointed 
secretary  of  war  in  his  })lace. 

North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama, 
Mississippi,  Louisiana  and  Texas,  having  ratified  the 
amendments,  and  having,  by  the  adoption  of  a  State 
constitution,  approved  by  congress  and  by  the  election 
of  national  senators  and  representatives,  complied 
with  prescri])tions  of  congress,  took  their  places  as 
revived  States  of  the  Union.  The  perfect  reorgani- 
zation was  not  ett'ected  until  the  spring  of  1872,  when, 
on  the2;kl  of  May,  the  remaining  States  having  taken 
their  places  with  their  sisters,  every  seat  in  congress 
was  filled,  for  the  first  time  since  the  winter  of  18GL 

In  the  Summer  of  18G8,  General  U.  S.  Grant  and 
Schuyler  Colfax  were  nomiiuited  for  president  and 
vice-president  of  the  United  States  on  the  Republi- 


446  UNION. 

cn,n  ticket,  and  Horatio  Seymour  of  New  York  and 
General  Frank  P.  Blair  of  Missouri,  for  president 
and  vice-president  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  The 
election  resulted  favorably  to  Grant  and  Colfax. 

Daring  the  year  1868,  there  was  considerable  trouble 
with  Indians  on  the  frontier.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  General  Sherman  is  accused  of  saying,  "  Tliere 
is  no  good  Indian,  but  the  dead  Indian."  The  ex- 
pression is  consistent  with  a  soldier  whose  trade  is 
blood;  but  to  a  humane  man  and  a  Christian,  it  is 
wholly  repugnant.  Besides,  the  statement  was  in 
contradiction  of  facts.  Missionaries  and  educators 
among  the  Indians  have  proved  that  there  are  many 
good  Indians.  In  his  report  in  1S75,  Commissioner 
E.  P.  Smith  says: 

"  The  civilization  of  the  Indian  is  not  only  entirely 
possible,  but  is  fairly  under  way."  He  reported  that 
out  of  the  entire  Indian  population  within  the  do- 
main of  the  United  States.  (278,003  souls),  40,(;38 
men  and  boys  supported  themselves  by  the  labor  of 
their  own  hands.  About  one-sixth  of  the  barbarian 
population  in  our  republic  had  become  producers. 
"Five  years  ago,"  said  the  Commissioner,  "10, .329 
Indian  families  were  living  in  houses.  This  year 
shows  i9,i)02;  again  of  92  percent."  He  also  re- 
ported that  the  number  of  children  attending  school 
was  10,000.  The  increase  has  been  very  satisfactory 
since,  and  the  red  man,  under  honest  treatment,  and 
in  the  light  of  Christian  development,  will  soon  be- 
come a  respected  and  valuable  citizen. 

February  26,  1869,  the  following  resolution,  as 
the  fifteenth  amendment,  passed  both  houses: 

"Section  I. — The  right  of  citizens  of  the  United 
States  to  vote  shall  not  be  denied  or  abridged  by  the 
United  States,  or  by  any  other  State,  on  account  of 
race,  color,  or  previous  condition  of  servitude. 


APPENDIX.  447 

"  Sectiost  II. — The  congress,  by  appropriate  legis- 
lation, ma}'  enforce  the  provisions  of  this  article." 

The  tnrbulent  administration  of  Andrew  Johnson 
came  to  an  end  March  4,  18G9.  On  the  day  he  re- 
tired, he  issned  a  long  address  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States  in  vindication  of  his  conduct.  It  is 
too  soon  yet  to  say  Just  how  much  Johnson  and  the 
Keiiublicans  were  to  blame,  or  to  fasten  the  blame  on 
either.  The  whole  contest  was  a  political  battle  over 
partisan  issues,  and  though  it  did  not  appear  in  the 
impeachment  at  all,  the  great  question  between  John- 
son and  Congress  v;as  extending  the  elective  franchise 
to  the  negroes.  The  Republicans  won,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  the  whites  or  the  blacks  are  any  better  off  for 
it,  and  certain  it  is,  the  Republicans  were  losers  in 
the  game. 


CHAPTER   II. 

grant's  two  administrations— "ALABAMA"  CLAIM 
— TROUBLE  WITH  SPAIN — COKRUPTION  OF  OFFI- 
CIALS— THE    "whiskey    ring." 

Ulysses  Simpson  Grant  was  inaugurated  president 
of  the  United  States  March  -i,  1SG9.  His  cabinet 
was  as  follows:  Hamilton  Fish,  secretary  of  state; 
George  S.  Boutwell,  secretary  of  treasury;  John  A. 
Rawlins,  secretary  of  war;  Adolph  E.  Borie,  secretary 
of  the  navy;  Jacob  D.  Ooxe,  secretary  of  the  interior; 
A.  J.  Creswell,  postmaster-general,  and  E.  Rockwood 
Hoar,  attorney-general. 

The  beginning  of  President  Grant's  administration 
was  bright  with  hope  and  promise.  The  only  cloud 
that  darkened  the  tirmament  was  the  nnsettled  ac- 
count for  the  depredations  committed  by  the  Alahaina, 
fitted  out  in  England  by  tacit  sanction  of  the  British 
government.  To  eifect  a  peaceful  solution  of  the 
problem,  Reverdy  Johnson  of  Maryland  was  sent  to 
Enghmd,  in  1868,  to  negotiate  a  treaty  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  treaty  was  rejected  by  the  American  sen- 
ate. Johnson  was  recalled,  and  J.  Lothrop  Motley 
was  appointed  minister  to  the  British  court,  charged 
with  the  negotiation  of  another  treaty  for  the  same 
purpose;  but  Mr.  Motley  met  with  no  greater  suc- 
cess than  his  pr^lecessor. 

The  reduction  of  tlie  national  debt  over  $600,000,- 
000  in  the  space  of  three  years  and  eight  months,  at 
the  accession  of  President  Grant,  made  the  outlook 
448 


APPENDIX. 


449 


encouraging.  The  country  was  prosperous.  Return- 
ing soldiers,  with  back  pay  and  bounties,  were  pur- 
chasing farms,  horses  and  cattle,  and  spreading  money 
all  over  the  country.  In  1864,  a  laAV  was  passed  pro- 
viding for  a  separate  bureau  in  the  treasury  depart- 
ment, the  chief  otticer  of  which  was  called  the  comp- 
troller of  the  currency,  Avhose  office  is  under  the 
general  direction  of  the  secretary  of  the  treasury.  It 
also  provided  for  the  formation  of  private  banking 
associations,  within  defined  limits,  to  have  existence 
for  twenty  years,  the  stockholders  to  be  equally  liable 
to  the  extent  of  the  stock  for  the  debts  and  contracts 
of  the  bank.  Every  such  association  was  required, 
preliminary  to  the  commence- 
ment of  banking,  to  transfer 
bonds  of  the  United  States  to  an 
amount  not  less  than  $30,000, 
and  not  less  than  the  capital 
stock  paid  in.  Then  the  asso- 
ciation was  entitled  to  receive 
from  the  comptroller  of  the  cur- 
rency, circulating  notes  equal  in 
amount  to  twenty  })er  cent  of 
the  current  market  value  of  the 
bonds  transferred,  but  not  ex- 
ceeding ninety  per  cent  of  the 
par  value  of  such  bonds.  The 
government  of  the  United  States 
was  thus  made  the  basis  of  se- 
curity for  the  redemption  of 
paper  currency,  and  that  circu- 
lating medium  was  of  equal  value  in  all  parts  of  the 
United  States.  This  was  the  formation  of  national 
banks,  which  system,  in  LS75,  was  made  free,  without 
any  restrictions  as  to  the  amount  of  circulating  notes 
that  might  be  issued  by  the  comptroller  of  the  treas- 
:i9 


\ 
Ulysses  S.  Grant. 


450  UNION. 

ury.  The  system  is  condemned  by  certain  classes  and 
npheld  by  others. 

At  an  early  period  of  Grant's  administration,  an 
important  amendment  to  the  national  constitution 
was  proposed  by  Mr.  Julian  of  Indiana,  for  securing 
the  ballot  to  women,  in  the  following  terms: 

"The right  of  suffrage  in  the  United  States: — citi- 
zens, whether  native  or  naturalized,  shall  enjoy  the 
right  equally,  without  any  distinction  or  discrimi- 
nation whatever,  founded  on  sex." 

This  never  became  a  law.  It  was  thought  that  the 
fourteenth  amendment,  declaring  "  that  all  persons, 
born  or  naturalized  in  the  United  States  and  subiect 
to  the  jurisdiction  thereof  (without  any  allusion  to 
sex)  are  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  the  State 
wherein  they  reside,"  clearly  gave  women  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  citizens-. 

An  important  event  of  1860  was  the  completion  of 
the  Pacific  Railroad,  thus  uniting  the  Atlantic  and 
the  Pacific  coasts  by  a  band  of  steel.  The  impressive 
ceremony  of  laying  the  last"  tie"  and  driving  the  last 
"spikes"  took  place  on  May  10,  1869,  in  a  grassy  val- 
ley, near  the  head  of  the  great  Salt  Lake,  in  Utah. 
It  was  performed  in  the  presence  of  many  hundred 
people  of  various  nationalities,  including  Indians  of 
the  plains.  That  "  tie"  was  made  of  laurel  wood, 
brightly  polished,  its  ends  bound  with  silver  bands. 
The  "  spikes"  were  three  in  number.  One  of  solid 
gold  came  from  California;  another  of  solid  silver 
from  Nebraska;  and  a  third,  composed  of  gold,  sil- 
ver and  iron,  was  furnished  by  the  citizens  of  Arizona. 
That  great  railway  crosses  nine  mountain  ranges  in 
its  passage  of  about  three  thousand  four  hundred 
miles,  between  New  York  and  San  Francisco  by  way 
of  Chicago. 

Early  at  the  close  of  the  war,  the  subject  of  a  ship 


APPENDIX.  451 

canal  across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  to  connect  the 
waters  of  the  two  oceans,  was  brought  before  the 
American  people,  and  has  occupied  much  public  at- 
tention ever  since,  though  it  has  not  become  a  reality. 
In  1871,  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  having 
agreed  to  arbitrate  the  Alabaina  claim,  the  tribunal 
for  that  purpose  assembled  at  Geneva,  in  Switzerland, 
where  Count  Sclopis  was  chosen  to  preside.  After 
several  meetings,  in  September,  1872,  the  tribunal  de- 
cided that  the  government  of  Great  Britain  should 
pay  to  the  government  of  the  United  States,  the  sum 
of  $15,500,000  in  gold,  to  be  given  to  citizens  of  the 
latter  country,  for  losses  by  depredations  of  the  Ala- 
bama and  other  Anglo-Gonfederate  cruisers. 

On  October  lOtli  and  12th,  1871,  there  occurred  at 
Chicago  the  great  fire,  in  which  over  1300,000,000 
was  lost.  Many  insurance  companies  were  forced  to 
make  assignments.  It  is  said  that  the  fire  originated 
from  a  cow  kicking  down  a  lamp.  It  was  during 
this  year  that  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis  of  Eussia  paid 
the  United  States  a  visit  and  made  a  tour  through 
several  States  and  Territories.  On  January  3,.  1872, 
Brigham  Young,  the  great  Mormon  chief,  was  arrested 
for  murder,  being  charged  with  complicity  in  the 
Mountain  Meadow  massacre.  He  was  not  convicted; 
but  a  jury  found  a  Mormon  official  named  Lee  guilty, 
and  he  was  afterward  executed.  On  March  7th,  three 
members  of  the  Kuklux  Klan  were  convicted  and 
sentenced  to  twenty  years  in  the  penitentiary.  The 
Kuklux  Klan  was  a  southern  organization  to  prevent 
negroes  from  enjoying  the  elective  franchise. 

May  3,  1872,  the  Liberal  Republicans,  in  conven- 
tion at  Cincinnati,  nominated  Horace  Greeley  for 
president,  with  B.  Gratz  Brown  of  Missouri  for  Vice- 
President.  Mr.  Greeley,  the  eminent  editor  of  the 
New  York  Tribinie,  and  one  of  the  greatest  men  of 


452 


UNION. 


his  age,  had  been  an  earnest  advocate  of  abolition, 
and  was  thought  to  be  one  of  the  stanchest  Repub- 
licans in  the  nation.  He  was  loyal  and  true;  but 
when  the  Confederates  surren- 
dered, he  believed  the  war  over 
and  was  willing  to  take  them  by 
the  hand  and  forgive  them.  He 
became  one  of  the  bondsmen  for 
Jefferson  Davis,  which  made  him 
repugnant  with  the  mass  of  Re- 
publicans, who  seemed  to  still 
snifp  the  smoke  of  battle.  Hor- 
ace Greeley  was  not  the  political 
mountebank  that  he  has  been 
accused  of  being.  He  was  a  hu- 
mane man.  His  love  of  human- 
ity made  slavery  of  the  blacks 
hateful,  and  his  love  of  human- 
ity revolted  at  the  oppressive 
means  suggested  to  humiliate 
the  conquered  people  of  the 
South.  His  views  on  the  tariff 
Uvere  thoroughly  Republican  and  not  far  from  the 
ideas  held  by  the  party  to-day. 

The  Republican  ])arty  had  determined  to  renomi- 
nate General  Grant.  Though  Grant  had  not  evinced 
any  brilliant  statesmanship,  yet  he  had  made  no  seri- 
ous mistakes,  and  his  brilliant  military  record  made 
him  popular.  On  June  (i,  1872,  he  was  renominated. 
William  H.  Seward,  Lincoln's  secretary  of  state, 
stabbed  on  the  night  of  the  president's  assassination, 
died  October  1-i,  1872.  The  presidential  election  re- 
sulted in  the  election  of  Grant  and  Wilson.  On  the 
25th  of  November,  after  the  election  on  the  5th, 
Horace  Greeley  died,  at  the  age  of  G2. 

On  the  9th  of  this  month  a  destructive  fire  broke 


Horace  Greeley. 


APPENDIX.  453 

out  in  Boston,  resulting  in  a  loss  of  about  $75,- 
000,000. 

President  Grant's  second  term  of  office  began  March 
4,  1873.  It  was  an  intensely  cold  day  at  the  national 
capital ;  but  the  inaugural  ceremonies  were  performed 
as  usual,  in  open  air,  at  the  east  front  of  the  capitol. 
Chief  Justice  Chase  administered  the  oath  of  oflfice. 
It  was  one  of  the  last  public  acts  of  that  distinguished 
jurist.  His  health  had  been  failing  for  some  time, 
in  consequence  of  a  paralytic  stroke  in  1872,  and  he 
died  two  months  after  the  imposing  ceremonies. 
President  Grant's  second  cabinet  was  as  follows: 
Hamilton  Fish,  secretary  of  state;  William  A.  Eich- 
ardson,  secretary  of  the  treasury;  William  W.  Bel- 
knap, secretary  of  war;  George  A.  Robeson,  secretary 
of  the  navy;  Columbus  Delano,  secretary  of  the  in- 
terior; John  A.  J.  Creswell,  postmaster-general. 
Changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  cabinet  afterward  took 
place,  and  only  Mr.  Fish  remained  in  General  Grant's 
cabinet  during  the  eight  years  of  his  administration. 

At  the  close  of  the  third  session  of  the  forty-second 
congress,  which  closed  March  4,  1873,  at  noon,  there 
was  rushed  through  the  infamous  salary-grab  bill. 
Had  this  law  been  enacted  prior  to  the  presidential 
election,  it  would  have  materially  aided  Horace  Gree- 
ley. By  this  law,  the  president's  salary  was  raised  from 
125,000  a  year  to  $50,000  a  year,  payable  in  monthly 
instalments.  The  salary  of  the  vice-president  was 
fixed  at  $10,000;  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court, 
$10,500,  and  the  associate  justices  at  $10,000  each; 
the  heads  of  the  several  departments,  attorney-general 
and  sjieaker  of  the  house  of  representatives  at  $10,000 
each,  and  senators  and  representatives  at  $7,500  each. 
President  Grant  signed  this  bill,  and  it  became  a  law, 
just  before  he  began  his  second  term  of  office. 

The  South  was  in  a  miserable  condition.     Intelli- 


454  UmON. 

gence  under  the  ban  of  rebellion  was  disfranchised, 
and  ignorance  and  imported  politicians  called  "  carpet 
baggers"  controlled  the  country.  It  was  still  under 
military  rule.  Ignorance,  to  a  certain  extent,  ruled 
intelligence  in  local  affairs.  The  enfranchised  negro 
was  about  the  only  citizen  in  the  South  entitled  to 
vote  or  hold  office.  Local  offices  were  in  many  cases 
held  by  negroes  incapable  of  reading  or  writing. 
There  was  a  gradual  lightening  of  the  burdens  of  tax- 
ation which  the  war  had  imposed,  and  this  made  the 
masses  of  the  people  hopeful  for  the  future.  The 
protective  tariff,  proposed  as  a  war  measure,  was  prov- 
ing beneficial  in  peace.  Manufacturing  industries 
sprang  up  all  over  the  land;  labor  was  in  demand, 
and  wages  were  good.  This  soon  began  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  laboring  people  of  the  old  world. 
The  wage  earner  in  the  United  States  was  receiving 
double  the  wages  the  laborer  received  in  the  old  world, 
and  emigration  from  Europe  poured  into  America  in 
one  continuous  stream.  In  the  year  1873,  the  emi- 
gration reached  the  unprecedented  figures  of  473,000. 
The  great  panic  of  1873  prostrated  thousands  of 
commercial  and  manufacturing  institutions,  cutting 
off,  or  reducing  the  wages  of  thousands  of  people, 
which  put  a  check  to  emigration,  though  it  has  never 
ceased.  The  vast  unoccupied  lands  in  the  western 
States  and  Territories  have  been  rapidly  filling  up 
with  foreign  emigrants  and  people  from  the  over- 
crowded eastern  States. 

November  6,  1873,  an  American  vessel  named  the 
Virginius  was  captured  by  Spanish  authorities  near 
Cuba.  Her  crew  and  persons  aboard  of  the  vessel 
were  accused  of  aiding  the  insurgents  in  Cuba.  They 
were  taken  to  Santiago,  Cuba,  where  several  were 
shot.  This  brought  about  some  diplomatic  corre- 
spondence with  Spain.     It  was  supposed  that  General 


APPENDIX.  455 

Grant  would  stubbornly  insist  on  satisfaction,  which 
Spain  seemed  not  in  the  least  inclined  to  give.  One 
of  the  men  killed  by  the  Spanish  authorities  was  a 
citizen  of  Iowa,  and  it  was  declared  that  he  was  in  no 
way  connected  with  "filibusters,"  if  any  of  them 
were.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  the  matter  passed  away 
and  was  hushed  up.  Some  of  the  newspai)ers  at  the 
time  intimated  that  Secretary  Fish  had  a  son  or  a 
son-in-law  at  this  time  interested  in  some  financial 
matters  in  Spain,  and  that  this  probably  accounted 
for  the  unsatisfactory  way  in  which  the  matter  ended. 

Through  the  unwise  "  peace  policy"  of  President 
Grant,  by  contiuuing  the  vicious  system  of  treating 
the  Indians  as  foreigners  and  at  the  same  time  wards 
guarded  by  rapacious  and  unscrupulous  agents,  who 
swindled  and  continually  excited  their  righteous  an- 
ger, the  Modocs  became  incensed  and  took  up  the 
hatchet.  In  their  mountain  fastnesses  and  lava  beds, 
they  made  a  desperate  resistance.  General  Canby  and 
Reverend  Dr.  Thomas  were  commissioned  to  treat 
with  them,  and  were  treacherously  murdered  by  the 
infuriated  Modocs. 

The  government  became  roused,  and  the  Modocs 
were  driven  to  their  lava  beds  and  forced  to  surrender. 
Captain  Jack  and  three  of  his  companions  were  tried 
by  a  court-martial  and  hanged  at  Fort  Klamath,  in 
Oregon,  October  3,  1873. 

The  trouble  originating  in  the  South  from  giving 
the  negro  the  elective  franchise  was  renewed  in  ls74, 
and  in  fact  in  every  biennial,  or  quadrennial  election, 
tliere  are  reports  of  outrages  in  the  South,  until  people 
have  come  to  expect  trouble  at  the  polls  when  an  elec- 
tion is  held. 

A  report  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Black  Hills 
caused  the  government  to  send  Mr.  Jenny,  govern- 
ment geologist,  to  make  a  survev  of  that  region.      He 


456  UNION. 

was  escorted  into  the  reservation  b}'  six  companies  of 
cavalry  and  two  of  infantry.  The  Sionx,  at  once 
suspecting  that  they  were  to  be  deprived  of  their  lands, 
began  their  dances  and  prepared  for  war.  In  1.S76, 
a  campaign  against  them  was  organized.  The  general 
plan  was  for  the  military  force  to  make  a  simulta- 
neous movement  under  experienced  leaders,  in  three 
columns, — one  from  the  department  of  the  Platte,  led 
by  General  Crook ;  one  from  the  department  of  Da- 
kota, commanded  by  General  Terry ;  and  a  third  from 
the  Territory  of  Montana,  led  by  General  Gibbon. 
The  latter  was  to  move  with  his  columns  down  the 
valley  of  the  Yellowstone,  to  prevent  the  Sioux  from 
escaping  northward.  General  Custer,  at  the  same 
time,  pushing  across  the  country  from  the  Missouri 
to  the  Yellowstone,  was  to  drive  the  Indians  toward 
General  Gibbon,  while  General  Crook  was  to  scout 
the  Black  Hills  and  drive  out  any  of  the  hostile  Sioux 
that  might  be  found  there.  The  expedition  was  un- 
der the  chief  command  of  General  Alfred  H.  Terry, 
a  brave,  judicious  and  experienced  officer.  He  and 
his  staff  accompanied  Custer  from  Fort  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  the  Yellowstone  River.  On  their  arrival 
in  the  vicinity,  about  June  1,  1876,  by  communi- 
cating with  General  Gibbon,  they  learned  that  the 
Indians  were  in  that  neighborhood,  in  large  numbers, 
and  well  supplied  with  munitions  of  Avar. 

The  reports  of  scouts  caused  a  belief  that  the  In- 
dians, with  their  great  movable  village,  were  in  the 
meshes  of  the  net  prepared  for  them  near  the  waters 
of  the  Big  Horn  and  Little  Horn,  Powder  and  Tongue 
rivers  (tributaries  of  the  Yellowstone),  and  Rosebud 
Creek.  The  concentrated  troops  began  to  feel  for 
themselves.  On  the  17th  of  June,  Crook  had  a 
sharp  fight  with  a  superior  force  of  Sioux,  who  were 
thoroughly  armed  and  equipped,  and  he  was  obliged 


APPENDIX.  457 

to  retreat.  Terry  and  Gibbon  met  at  the  moutli  of 
the  Rosebud.  Custer  was  there,  at  the  head  of  the 
stronger  column,  consisting  of  the  whole  of  the  Tth 
regiment  of  cavalry,  composed  of  twelve  companies, 
and  was  ordered  to  make  the  attack.  He  and  Gibbon 
marched  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Big  Horn  Eiver. 
Custer  arrived  first  and  discovered  an  immense  In- 
dian camp  on  a  plain.  He  liad  been  directed  to  await 
the  arrival  of  Gibbon,  to  co-operate  with  him,  before 
making  the  attack;  but,  inferring  that  the  Indians 
were  moving  off,  he  directed  Colonel  Reno  to  attack 
them  at  one  point  with  seven  companies  of  the  cav- 
alry, while  he  dashed  off  with  five  companies  (about 
three  hundred  men)  to  attack  at  another  point.  A 
terrible  struggle  ensued  on  the  25th  of  Ji;ne,  1870, 
with  a  body  of  Indians,  five  to  one  of  the  white  men. 
The  savages  were  led  by  a  chieftain  named  "Sitting 
Bull,"  a  man  with  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and 
who,  had  he  been  Christianized  and  civilized,  might 
have  been  a  power  in  the  land.  Custer  and  almost 
his  entire  command  were  slain.  Two  hundred  and 
sixty-one  were  killed  and  fifty  wounded.  With  Gen- 
eral Custer,  perished  two  of  his  brothers,  a  brother- 
in-law,  and  other  gallant  officers;  but  the  Indians 
were  finally  driven  from  their  lands  to  a  reservation 
set  apart  for  them,  and  a  peace  established. 

The  Territory  of  Colorado  was  admitted  as  the 
thirty-eighth  State  in  the  year  1876. 

General  Grant's  second  administration  was  sad- 
dened by  some  of  the  most  gigantic  frauds  and  swin- 
dles ever  brought  to  light  against  government  officials 
and  prominent  men  in  political  circles.  During  the 
latter  part  of  tlie  year  1875,  disclosures  were  made 
of  a  wide-spread  conspiracy  among  the  United  States 
revenue  officers,  distillers  and  others  to  defraud  the 
government  of  its  revenue   on  whiskey.     This  was 


458 


UNION. 


known  as  the  "whiskey  ring."  0.  E.  Babcock, 
President  Grant's  private  secretary,  was  one  of  the 
accnsed,  but  on  trial  was  acquitted. 

Tlie  "  whiskey  ring"  seemed  to  have  its  headquarters 
in  St.  Louis,  though  there  were  branches  extending 
to  Kansas  City  and  St.  Joseph.  It  was  wholly  witli- 
in  the  ranks  of  Kepublican  officials  and  Eepublican 
leaders,  whose  object  was  to  increase  their  own  wealth 
by  violating  the  law  and  defrauding  the  govern- 
ment. Eespectable  Kepublicans  kept  aloof  from  the 
gigantic  fraud,  and  saved  their  good  names  from 
reproach.  Those  familiar  with  the  ring  and  its 
schemes  understand  its  strenuous  and  persistent  ef- 
forts to  dominate  and  control  city,  State  and  national 
politics. 

For  six  years,  all  else  had  to  yield  to  or  feel  its  in- 
fluence. The  chief  Republican  paper  of  St.  Louis 
and  Missouri  was  the  iSf.  Louis  Democrat,  owned  by 
Fishback,  Houser  and  William  McKee,  all  three  hav- 
ing an  interest  in  it.  This  paper,  from  its  skill  and 
enterprise,  had  gained  a  wide  influence  during  the 
war.  March  23,  1872,  William  McKee  and  D.  M. 
Houser  sold  their  shares  in  the  Democrat  to  Fishback 
&  Co.  for  1-450,000.  On  July  18,  1872,  McKee  and 
Houser  established  a  new  Republican  paper,  called 
the  Glolie,  which  it  is  supposed  derived  its  flrst  vigor 
from  the  proceeds  of  the  whiskey  ring  fi'auds,  though 
there  is  no  evidence  that  Mr.  D.  M.  Houser,  or  any 
one  else,  connected  with  the  paper,  save  McKee,  had 
anything  whatever  to  do  with  the  whiskey  ring  frauds. 
The  emoluments  of  the  whiskey  frauds,  according  to 
the  statement  of  General  McDonald,  reached  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  12,786,000.  Of  this,  it  is  said  that 
McKee  of  the  Gloie  received  $;300,000.  On  March 
19,  1875,  McKee  and  Houser  purchased  the  Democrat 
from  Fishback  &  Co.,  and,  consolidating  it  with  the 


APPENDIX.  459 

Glohe,  it  became  tlie  St.  Lonis  Glohe-Democrai .,  wliicli 
name  it  bears  to-day. 

The  power  of  the  whiskey  riug  was  ahiiost  unlimited. 
Scarce  any  dared  oppose  it,  and  he  who  did  was  crushed 
by  the  weight  of  its  influence.  Republican  State 
conventions  were  manipulated  in  its  interest,  and 
Ohauncey  I.  Filley,  the  Republican  leader  then  and 
now  in  the  State,  because  he  would  not  accede  to  the 
wishes  of  the  ring,  was  retired  from  the  State  com- 
mittee. He  was,  at  the  time  of  its  exposure,  by  Geo. 
AV.  Fishback  to  Secretary  Bristow,  postmaster  of  St. 
Louis.  These  gigantic  frauds  on  such  a  wholesale 
plan  could  not  go  entirely  unnoticed.  On  May  10, 
1875,  seizures  were  made  by  two  revenue  oificers 
going  to  St.  Louis  for  that  purpose  after  Fishback 
had  given  into  the  hands  of  Bristow  the  sworn  proof. 
The  parties  in  St.  Louis  who  aided  in  furnishing  tlie 
information  were  Jesse  B.  Woodward,  an  attorney, 
and  Myron  Coloney,  a  special  agent. 

On  May  15,  1875,  the  commissioner  of  revenue 
was  superseded  by  Commissioner  Pratt  of  Indiana,  and 
in  June,  McDonald,  Joyce  and  Fitzroy  were  indicted. 
In  July,  General  John  B.  Henderson  was  appointed 
special  attorney  to  assist  Colonel  Pat  Dver,  the  district 
attorney,  in  the  ])rosecution  of  the  frauds.  Hender- 
son, being  a  politician,  hesitated  to  incur  the  displeas- 
ure of  the  great  opposing  newspaper,  and  a  ring  tliat 
had  gained  such  a  wonderful  power.  He  consulted 
with  Mr.  Filley,  the  postmaster,  also  a  prominent  Re- 
publican, who  wielded  wide  influence  in  the  State  and 
nation.  Mr.  Filley  said  that  the  way  to  favor  was  to 
"stand  up  for  the  country  and  the  right,"  and  Hen- 
derson, having  his  spiritual  strength  renewed,  decided 
to  take  hold  and  prosecute  witli  a  vengeance. 

Henderson  had  been  an  applicant  for  a  foreign  mis- 
sion in  1872,  and   President  Grant,  having  been  in- 


460  UNION. 

formed  of  a  personal  attack  made  by  Henderson  on 
him,  refused  to  appoint  the  general.  It  is  said  by 
one  who  knew  Grant  well,  that  he  never  overlooked 
a  personal  attack.  On  being  appointed  to  prosecute 
the  whiskey  ring,  Henderson  could  not  resist  tlie  tem- 
tation  to  vent  his  spleen  on  the  president,  and  he  de- 
clared that  the  whiskey  frauds  were  a  ring  that  ex- 
tended to  the  AVhite  House.  Henderson  was  at  once 
removed,  and  Hon.  James  0.  Broadhead,  an  eminent 
lawyer  and  Democratic  statesman,  was  appointed  in 
his  place.  General  Grant,  in  making  this  appoint- 
ment, gave  utterance  to  the  famous  order: 

"  Let  no  guilty  man  escape!" 

November  4,  1875,  McKee  and  Maguire  were  in- 
dicted for  "  consjiiracy  to  defraud  the  government." 
In  September,  John  A.  Joyce  was  indicted  in  the 
western  district  court  at  Jefferson  City  for  failure 
to  report  official  investigation.  On  November  13, 
Joyce  was  sentenced  to  three  years  in  the  peniten- 
tiary and  12,000  fine.  McDonald  was  convicted  in 
the  same  month.  W.  0.  Avery,  a  clerk  in  the  com- 
missioner's office,  was  tried  at  St.  Louis  and  convicted 
December  3d.  In  February,  1876,  Babcock  was 
acquitted  by  a  jury.  On  February  1st,  William 
McKee  was  convicted.  The  same  day  collector  of  in- 
ternal revenue  Con.  Maguire  plead  guilty.  McKee 
was  fined  ten  thousand  dollars  and  sentenced  to  two 
years  in  the  county  jail.  Maguire  was  sentenced  to 
six  months  in  the  county  jail.  In  St.  Joseph,  John 
L.  Bittinger  was,  on  April  15,  1876,  sentenced  to 
two  years  in  the  State  penitentiary,  and  to  pay  a 
fine  of  one  thousand  dollars.  Other  members  of  the 
ring  were  more  or  less  punished ;  but  there  is  no  doubt 
that  many  of  the  guilty  escaped.  So  many  promi- 
nent politicians,  newspaper  men  and  men  wealthy 
and    occupying    high    places    in    society,   were  per- 


APPENDIX.  461 

haps  never  before  convicted  by  their  own  political 
friends. 

The  Kepublican  party  in  Missouri  has  never  yet 
gotten  over  the  blighting  effects  of  the  whiskey  ring. 
Ever  since,  the  State  has  been  Democratic.  Chauncey 
I.  Filley,  the  great  Eepublican  organizer  and  leader, 
refused  to  sign  a  petition  or  write  a  letter  for  the 
pardon  of  William  McKee  of  the  St.  Louis  Glohe- 
Democrat,  and  has  ever  since  been  the  object  of  that 
paper's  hate.  Mr.  Filley  gives  the  following  reason 
for  declining  to  sign  a  petition,  or  write  a  letter  to 
President  Grant  for  the  pardon  of  William   McKee: 

"  1  declined  to  sign  a  letter  or  petition  for  the  par- 
don of  McKee,  not  upon  any  personal  grounds,  but 
because  he,  as  an  intelligent  man  and  publisher  of  a 
great  newspaper,  whose  duty  it  was  to  be  faithful  to 
the  public  as  a  public  educator,  had  been  false  to  his 
public  and  individual  duty,  and  the  means  of  suborn- 
ing and  contaminating  so  many  young  men,  and  so 
many  public  officers,  federal,  State  and  city,  that  he 
had  no  claims  for  consideration,  and  should  be  made 
to  suffer  for  his  own  acts,  and  to  atone  for  the  homes 
he  had  destroyed,  as  well  as  the  lives  of  so  many  who 
fell  under  his  blight." 

Filley  has  never  ceased  to  feel  the  effects  of  his  re- 
fusal. William  McKee  died  in  1879,  and  a  statement 
published  in  many  of  the  leading  papers  and  never  to 
our  knowledge  denied,  is  to  the  effect  that  he  called 
his  wife,  Joseph  McCullagh,  editor  of  the  St.  Louis 
GloJje-Deiiiocrat,  and  D.  M.  Houser,  its  manager,  to 
his  death-bed,  and  made  them  promise  never  to  cease 
to  fight  Chauncey  I.  Filley  so  long  as  he  lived  and 
the  Glol)e-Democrat  existed.  Wliether  such  an  obli- 
gation was  imposed  on  the  survivors  of  William  Mc- 
Kee or  not,  it  has  been  acted  upon.  When  Filley  or- 
ganized the  shattered  ranks  of  the  Republican  party 


463  UNION. 

ill  his  part  of  tlie  nation,  after  the  defeats  of  1870 
and  1874,  and  led  them  to  victory  in  1876,  1880  and 
1888,  the  UloI)e-Democrat  assailed  him,  and  soon  had 
the  ear  of  the  administration  turned  against  him 
in  each  case.  Filley  went  down  in  181)2,  and  so  did 
the  Republican  party.  The  Glohe- Democrat  and  its 
followers  are  denominated  the  "  silk-stocking"  faction 
of  the  Eepublican  party,  while  Filley  and  his  followers 
are  called  "  hoodlums. "  Both  pseudonyms  are  misno- 
mers, as  one  can  see  by  the  history 
of  the  origin  of  the  factions. 

1870  was  not  only  a  presidential 
year,  but  also  the  year  of  the  great 
centennial  exposition,  celebrating 
the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of 
American  Independence.  The 
centennial  exposition  was  held 
in  Philadelphia.  Kutherford  B. 
Hayes  of  Ohio  and  William  A. 
Wheeler  of  New  York  were  nom- 
inated for  president  and  vice- 
president  of  the  United  States  on 
the  Kepublican  ticket  at  Cincin- 
nati, June  16,  1876.  Belknap, 
secretary  of  war,  left  the  cabinet, 
Samuel  J.  Tilden.  and  on  June  17th,  B.  H.  Bristow, 

secretary  of  the  treasury,  resigned. 
On  the  28th  and  29th  of  June,  Samuel  J.  Tilden 
and  Thomas  A.  Hendricks  were  nominated  for  presi- 
dent and  vice-president  of  the  United  States  on  the 
Democratic  ticket.  The  election  was  so  close  that  for 
months  it  was  in  doubt.  At  last  an  electoral  com- 
mission was  agreed  upon,  and  the  result  was  that 
Hayes  and  Wheeler  were  declared  elected.  The  com- 
mission was  very  unsatisfactory,  and  we  hope  will 
never  be  resorted  to  again. 


CHAPTER   III. 


HAYES — GAKFIELI) — AND    ARTHUR. 


Many  evil  things  were  said  of  the  manner  in 
which  President  Hayes  Avas  elected.  He  was  called 
the  "Fraudulent  President;"  but  whatever  may  be 
said  of  the  fraud,  if  there  were  a 
fraud,  which  placed  him  in  the 
presidential  chair,  President 
Hayes  was  no  party  to  it  himself. 
He  found  himself  chief  magistrate 
of  a  mighty  nation,  and  perhaps 
in  as  trying  a  position  as  ever  a 
man  was  placed  in  time  of  peace. 
He  proved  himself  conscientious 
and  worthy  of  the  high  trust  re- 
posed in  him.  His  cabinet  was, 
William-  M.  Evarts  of  New  York, 
secretary  of  state;  John  Sherman 
of  Ohio,  secretary  of  the  treasury ; 
George  W.  McCrary  of  Iowa,  sec- 
retary of  war;  Richard  W.Thomp- 
son of  Indiana,  secretary  of  the 
navy;  Carl  Schurz  of  Missouri, 
secretary  of  the  interior;  David 
M.  Key  of  Tennessee,  postmaster-general,  and  Charles 
Devens  of  Massachusetts,  attorney-general. 

Mr,  Hayes  at  once  set  about  a  much  needed  reform 
in  the  South.     He  realized  that  the  war  had  ended 
twelve  years  before,  and  that  a  standing  army  was  no 
463 


Rutherford  B.  Hayes. 


464  UNION. 

longer  necessary  in  the  South.  He  believed  the  peo- 
ple of  the  South  capable  of  controlling  their  own 
affairs  without  the  intervention  of  federal  or  military 
authority,  and  South  Carolina  and  Louisiana,  being 
left  to  themselves,  declared  the  Democratic  nominees 
for  governor  of  those  two  States  elected.  The  South- 
ern States  have  been  solidly  Democratic  ever  since 
and  are  rapidly  recovering  from  the  devastation  of 
war. 

Mr.  Hayes,  on  June  22,  1877,  issued  the  folloAving 
circular  letter  to  all  government  office  holders: 

"  Sir  : — I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  following 
paragraph  in  a  letter  addressed  by  me  to  the  secretary  of  the 
treasury  on  the  conduct  to  be  observed  by  officers  of  the 
government  in  relation  to  elections  : 

" '  No  officer  shall  be  required  or  permitted  to  take  any 
part  in  the  management  of  political  organizations,  cau- 
cuses, conventions,  or  election  campaigns.  Their  right  to 
vote  and  express  their  views  on  public  questions,  either 
orally  or  through  the  press,  is  not  denied,  provided  it  does 
not  interfere  with  the  discharge  of  their  otficial  duties.  No 
assessments  for  political  purposes  on  officers  or  subordi- 
nates should  be  allowed.  This  rule  is  applicable  to  every 
department  of  the  civil  service.  It  should  be  understood 
by  every  officer  of  the  general  government  i^hat  he  is  ex- 
pected to  conform  his  conduct  to  its  requirements. '" 

The  summer  of  1877  was  memorable  for  the  Nez 
Perce  (Pierced-Nose)  Indian  war  in  Idaho.  The  his- 
tory of  this  war  is  only  another  record  of  a  series  of 
aggressions  and  impositions  of  the  white  men  upon 
the  red.  The  Nez  Perces  were  first  discovered  in 
1803,  by  a  party  of  explorers.  They  were  quite 
friendly  and  continued  so  until  about  twenty  years 
ago.  They  were  organized,  like  most  of  the  tribes 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  with  no  general  chief. 
An  Indian  agent  was  sent  among  them,  who  forced 
upon  them  a  principal  chief,  whose  only  recommenda- 
tions were  that  he  could  speak  English,  and  could  be 


APPENDIX.  465 

controlled  in  the  interest  of  the  agent.  They  waited 
patiently  for  the  appointed  chief  to  die,  that  they 
might  again  enjoy  their  old  political  system ;  hut  when 
this  event  did  transpire,  another  chief  was  chosen  in 
opposition  to  "Joseph,"  a  member  of  one  of  the  most 
illustrious  families  of  the  tribe.  He  was  the  father 
of  Joseph,  the  leader  of  the  band  in  war.  Old  Josejjh 
withdrew  in  disgust  from  the  councils  of  the  Nez 
Perces. 

The  Nez  Perces  had  lived  from  time  immemorial 
in  the  Wallowa  valley,  distinguished  for  its  wealth 
of  roots  and  fishing.  The  white  men  envied  them 
their  lands,  and  by  various  treaties,  which  they  in 
their  ignorance  could  not  understand,  provided  them 
with  reservations  and  annuities.  Old  Joseph  and  his 
band  refused  to  go  upon  the  reservation,  and  remained 
in  their  ancestral  home  in  the  Wallowa  valley.  80  did 
many  others  who  refused  to  become  parties  to  the 
treaty. 

In  1871,  old  Joseph  died  and  left  his  son  Joseph  at 
the  head  of  his  band.  Like  his  father,  he  denied  the 
right  of  a  portion  of  the  tribe  to  give  up  their  lands. 
Not  having  signed  the  treaty,  they  determined  to  re- 
main in  the  Wallowa.  White  people  came  into  the 
valley  for  the  purpose  of  crowding  them  out.  The 
oppression  of  the  Indians  became  terrible  and,  as 
might  be  supposed,  resulted  in  war.  Joseph,  at  the 
head  of  a  few  followers,  made  a  gallant  fight.  A  dis- 
tressing war  continued  from  June  until  the  second 
month  in  Autumn  of  1877,  when,  on  the  5th  of 
October,  Joseph  and  his  band  surrendered  to  General 
Nelson  A.  Miles  at  Eagles'  Creek,  Montana  Terri- 
tory.    Joseph  in  his  speech  said  to  General  Miles: 

"Tell  General  Howard  I  know  his  heart.  What 
he  told  me  before  I  have  in  my  heart.  I  am  tired  of 
fighting.  Our  chiefs  are  all  killed.  Looking-glass 
30 


466  UNION. 

is  dead.  The  old  men  are  all  dead.  It  is  the  young 
men  who  must  say  yes  or  no.  He  who  led  the  young 
men  is  dead.  It  is  cold,  and  we  have  no  blankets. 
The  little  children  are  freezing  to  death.  I  want 
time  to  look  for  my  children  and  see  how  many  of 
them  I  can  find.  May  be  I  shall  find  them  among 
the  dead.  Hear  me,  my  chiefs!  I  am  tired.  My 
heart  is  sick  and  sad.  From  where  the  sun  now 
stands,  I  shall  fight  no  more  forever." 

A  more  pathetic  speech  has  not  been  heard  since 
the  time  of  Logan  the  famous  Mingo  chief. 

Since  the  death  of  Custer,  Sitting  Bull,  the  terri- 
ble Sioux,  and  his  followers  had  been  at  large.  Gen- 
eral Terry,  commander  of  the  military  department  of 
the  Northwest,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  com- 
mission, and  on  hearing  of  the  surrender  of  the  Nez 
Perces,  and  considering  it  a  favorable  time  to  nego- 
tiate, started  for  the  rendezvous  of  Sitting  Bull,  near 
Fort  Walsh,  where  they  met  the  chief,  who  rejected 
the  proposals  of  peace  made  by  the  commissioners, 
and  the  commission  returned.  The  British  authori- 
ties gave  Sitting  Bull  notice  that  if  he  should  attemjit 
to  cross  the  border  with  hostile  intentions,  he  would 
have  the  English  as  well  as  the  Americans  for  his 
enemies.  In  1881,  about  one  thousand  of  Sitting 
Bull's  followers  surrendered  ;  but  it  was  several  years 
before  the  chief  would  consent  to  be  placed  on  a 
reservation. 

January  1,  1879,  was  the  time  set  for  the  resump- 
tion of  specie  payment,  and  as  the  time  drew  near, 
timid  persons  began  to  fear  a  panic;  but  resumption, 
like  many  anticipated  evils,  proved  a  blessing.  In 
1878,  the  "Bland  Silver  Bill,"  of  which  Mr.  Richard 
Bland  of  Missouri  was  author,  became  a  law.  It  pro- 
vided for  the  coinage  of  silver  dollars  of  the  weight 
of  412^  grains  and  that  the  rate  of  coinage  should  be 


I 


APPENDIX.  467 

at  least  12,000,000  a  month,  and  not  more  than 
14,000,000.  In  the  fall  of  1878,  the  yellow  fever  pre- 
vailed as  a  fearful  epidemic  in  the  region  of  the 
Lower  Mississippi,  from  Memphis  to  New  Orleans. 
In  his  annual  message,  the  j^resident  called  the  atten- 
tion of  congress  to  the  necessity  for  investigating  the 
causes  of  the  epidemic.  The  senate  appointed  a 
committee  to  act  in  the  matter  in  conjunction  with 
one  from  the  house,  and  850,000  was  appropriated. 

On  January  1,  1879,  the  much-dreaded  specie  re- 
sumption came.  In  fact,  under  the  wise  manage- 
ment of  Secretary  Sherman,  it  had  been  reached 
weeks  before.  As  the  time  approached,  all  dread  of 
the  monster  passed  away,  and,  instead  of  producing 
the  tinancial  panic  predicted  by  so  many,  1879  was 
the  most  prosperous  year  the  nation  had  seen  since  the 
war. 

On  the  Pacific  coast  there  has  long  existed  a  strong 
prejudice  to  the  Chinese,  and  in  1879  the  matter  was 
brought  to  the  attention  of  congress  in  an  effort  to 
restrict  Chinese  emigration.  A  bill  was  passed  to 
that  effect;  but  the  president  vetoed  it. 

Early  in  the  Autumn  of  1879,  there  was  an  upris- 
ing of  the  Ute  tribe  of  Indians.  They  murdered 
N.  C.  Meeker,  the  Indian  agent  at  White  Eiver,  and 
for  several  weeks  held  his  wife  and  daughter  in  cap- 
tivity. Major  Thornbreak  of  the  United  States  Army 
was  sent  with  a  force  to  suppress  the  hostiles,  and  in 
a  battle  with  them  on  Milk  River,  he  and  ten  of  his 
men  were  killed.  The  Indians  were  finally  subdued, 
and  the  captives  released. 

1880  was  another  presidential  year.  General  Grant's 
friends  set  on  foot  a  movement  to  break  the  precedent 
set  by  George  Washington,  which  until  this  year  had 
been  respected  by  the  most  ambitious  politician  Amer- 
ica had  ever  produced.     Early  in  the  year,  in  fact, 


468  UNION. 

the  year  before  General  Grant  was  announced  us  a 
candidate  for  the  "third  term,"  he  had  taken  a  tour 
around  the  world,  and  an  admiring  press  had  given 
him  a  liberal  amount  of  laudation.  Ilis  chief  oppo- 
nent was  that  brilliant  statesman,  James  G.  Blaine. 
Koscoe  Conkling  and  General  John  A.  Logan  were 
the  special  champions  of  General  Grant. 

This  mistake,  to  a  considerable  extent,  dimmed  the 
lustre  which  General  Grant's  name  had  already  ac- 
quired. The  campaign  was  very  bitter,  and  some 
hard  things  were  said  of  the  general  who  liad  received 
the  sword  of  Lee.  The  convention  was  held  in  Chi- 
cago, and  the  ex-president  was  accused  of  imperialism 
and  Ca?sarism.  Washington  Avas  held  up  in  contrast 
with  the  third-term  candidate.  The  salary  grab,  the 
whiskey  frauds,  and  many  other  things  for  which  the 
general  was  not  responsible  were  charged  against  him. 
The  Young  Men's  Republican  Clulj  from  New  York 
had  their  headquarters  at  the  Palmer  House,  and 
with  them  was  a  chorus  of  excellent  singers  and  a 
number  of  orators,  the  lay  of  whose  songs  and  the 
burden  of  whose  speeches  were  against  the  "  third 
term." 

It  soon  became  evident  that  safety  to  the  party  lay 
in  a  comiDromise  candidate.  The  galleries  rang  with 
applause  whenever  James  A.  Garlield,  avIio  was  a  dele- 
gate, appeared  in  the  convention  hall,  and  the  del- 
egates wisely  decided  that  he  was  the  coming  man. 
General  Grant  received  306  votes;  but  the  Blaine  and 
Sherman  men  went  to  Garfield,  and  he  was  nominated 
for  president,  with  Chester  A.  Arthur  for  vice-presi- 
dent. 

The  Democrats  nominated  General  Winlield  Scott 
Hancock,  a  brave  soldier  in  the  late  war,  with  William 
H.  English  for  vice-president.  The  National  ((jreen- 
back)  party  nominated  General  John  B.  Weaver  of 


APPENDIX. 


469 


Iowa  and  Benjamin  J.  Chamber?  of  Texas.  The  Pro- 
liibition  candidates  were  Neal  Dow  of  Maine  and 
A.  H.  Thomi)son  of  Ohio.  Gar- 
field and  Arthur  were  elected. 
President  Hayes'  adminis- 
tration was  prosperous  and, 
save  the  Indian  troubles,  peace- 
ful from  beginning  to  end. 
Honor  was  never  done  him  dur- 
ing his  life,  and  the  world  can- 
not honor  him  now.  Mrs. 
Hayes  was  more  nearly  a  Mar- 
tha Washington,  in  her  sweet 
Cliristian-like  spirit  and  sim- 
plicity, than  any  woman  who 
has  ever  graced  the  White 
House.  Her  character  was  a 
power  for  good.  Unlike  the 
weak  ladies  who  preceded  her, 
she  refused  to  allow  liquors  to 
ever  appear  on  her  table.  No  foreign  diplomat  was 
ever  known  to  taste  wine  in  the  White  House  while 
she  presided  over  it.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  her 
successors  have  not  all  followed  her  example. 


WiNFiELD  Scott  Hanc 


Garfield. 

President  Garfield's  constitutional  advisers  were: 
secretary  of  state,  James  G.  Blaine  of  Maine;  secre- 
tary of  the  treasury,  William  Windom  of  Minnesota; 
secretary  of  war,  Robert  Todd  Lincoln  of  Illinois, 
son  of  President  Lincoln;  secretary  of  the  navy, 
William  H.  Hunt  of  Louisiana;  secretary  of  the  in- 
terior, Samuel  J.  Kirkwood  of  Iowa;  postmaster-gen- 
eral, Thomas  L.  James  of  New  York  ;  attorney-gen- 
eral, Wayne  McVeagh  of  Pennsvlvania. 


470  UNION. 

Soon  after  the  inauguration  of  President  Garfield 
and  the  selection  of  his  cabinet,  there  sprang  up  a 
bitter  fight  between  Senator  Koscoe  Conkling  and  the 
administration.  Conkling,  still  smarting  under  his 
defeat  in  his  efforts  to  nominate  General  Grant  for 
the  "third  term,"  and  the  elevation  of  his  personal 
enemy  Mr.  Blaine  to  the  highest  place  in  his  cabinet, 
became  doubly  bitter  against  President  Garfield. 

Conkling,  Logan  and  all  tlie  supporters  of  Grant 
were  styled  "Stalwarts,"  while  the  Pejiublicans  that 
had  opposed  him  for  the  "third  term,"  were  called 
"  Half-Breeds. "  Judge  Robertson  had  been  a  New 
York  delegate  to  the  Chicago  convention,  and  refus- 
ing to  be  bound  by  the  uuit  rule  which  they  sought 
to  impose  on  the  delegates  to  insure  the  State  for 
Grant,  and  being  friendly  to  Blaine,  he  incurred  the 
displeasure  of  Senator  Conkling  and  all  his  followers. 
A  foolish  custom  has  prevailed  for  many  years  in  pub- 
lic affairs  at  Washington.  Not  only  is  it  foolish  but 
dangerous.  That  custom  is  to  allow  the  congressmen 
and  senators  from  each  State  to  select  such  persons  as 
they  choose,  and  nominate  them  for  the  various 
federal  offices  within  their  State  or  district.  Con- 
gressmen and  senators  are  elected  to  make  laws  for  the 
people,  and  not  as  patronage  brokers.  Besides,  the 
system  is  dangerous  in  this,  that  it  enables  a  wily  and 
corrupt  politician  to  perpetuate  himself  in  office,  by 
having  that  powerful  weapon,  patronage,  by  which 
he  can  sway  his  constituents  as  a  master  does  his 
slaves  with  the  lash.  Garfield  and  some  of  the  best 
of  our  presidents,  have  paid  little  attention  to  this 
rule. 

When  President  Garfield  ap{)uinted  Kubei'tson  col- 
lector of  New  York,  Conkling  became  enraged  and 
resigned  his  seat  in  the  senate,  and  Senator  Thomas 
C.  Piatt  followed  his  example.     They  went  home  re- 


APPENDIX. 


471 


lying  on  being  returned  by  the  New  York  legislature 
then  in  session  in  Albany.  Tlie  legislature  failed  to 
return  tliem,  and  Conkling  became  soured  and  retired 
from  i)olitics,  tliougli  Thomas  C.  Piatt  has  ever  re- 
mained loyal  to  the  party  of  his  choice. 

President  Garfield's  administration  was  full  of 
bright  promise.  The  country  was  at  peace  with  all 
the  world  and  was  never  more 
prosperous,  and  everybody  felt 
that  a  long  era  of  good  times  was 
at  hand.  Among  the  army  of 
office  seekers  who  had  been  prowl- 
ing about  Washington,  was  one, 
Charles  J.  Guiteau,  who  wanted  a 
foreign  mission.  But  little  atten- 
tion was  paid  him,  until,  mad 
with  a  desire  for  notoriety,  on  July 
2,  1881,  he  shot  President  Gar- 
field, in  the  depot  at  Washington 
City,  as  he  and  Mr.  Blaine  were 
about  to  take  the  train.  From 
the  very  first,  it  was  feared  the 
wound  was  mortal.  For  long 
weeks,  the  president  lingered  be- 
tween life  and  death,  and  the  people  waited  with  deep- 
est anxiety.  As  a  last  resort,  he  was  taken  to  the  sea- 
coast  at  Elberon,  where  he  died,  September  19,  1881. 

Charles  J.  Guiteau  was  arrested  and  put  in  prison. 
While  incarcerated,  Sergeant  Mason  of  the  United 
States  Army  fired  at  him,  but  missed.  Mason  was 
promptly  arrested  on  a  charge  of  assault  with  intent 
to  kill,  was  tried  and  convicted. 

Guiteau's  trial  was  a  farce.  He  was  defended  by 
his  brother-in-law  Mr.  Scoville.  The  prisoner  was 
more  like  a  low  comedian  in  a  farce  comedy  than  a 
man  on  trial  for  his  life,  and  he  continually  inter- 


James  a.  Garfield. 


472 


UNION. 


rupted  the  proceedings  with  the  most  ridiculously 
foolish  remarks.  There  can  be  little  doubt  of  Gui- 
teau's  insaiiity,  and  it  is  even  questioualjle  if  he  was 
accountable  for  the  act.  Nevertheless,  public  opin- 
ion v,?as  greatly  against  him,  and  he  was  convicted 
on  January  25,  1882,  and  hanged  on  the  30th  of  the 
following  June. 

Arthur, 


The  constitutional  successor  of  James  A.  Garfield 
was  Mr.  Chester  A.  Arthur.  The  first  change  Mr. 
Arthur  made  in  the  cabinet  was  in  Noveml)er,  1881, 
when  Secretary  Windom  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Judge  Folger  of  New 
York.  On  January  1,  1882,  Mr. 
James  resigned  as  postmaster-gen- 
eral and  was  succeeded  by  Mr. 
Howe. 

Slight  trouble  between  Chili, 
Peru  and  the  United  States  gave 
rise  to  some  diplomatic  corre- 
spondence. Mr.  William  H.  Tres- 
cott  was  sent  as  a  special  envoy  to 
Chili  and  Peru.  These  countries 
were  at  war  with  each  other  at  the 
time;  but  after  some  delay  and 
trouble,  matters,  so  far  as  the 
United  States  of  America  were 
concerned,  were  adjusted. 

The  famous  "star  route"  trials 
were  during  the  administration  of 
Arthur.  Senator  Dorsey,  and  second  assistant  i)ost- 
master-general  Tliomas  J.  Brady  were  indicted  for 
defrauding  the  government  in  postal  contracts,  were 
tried  and  acquitted. 


Chester  A.  Arthur. 


APPENDIX.  473 . 

Duriug  this  year,  the  United  States  contested  the 
riglit  of  any  European  power  to  guarantee  the  neu- 
trahty  of  the  Panama  canal,  maintaining  that  the 
United  States  had  the  sole  right  so  to  do.  It  inti- 
mated an  intention  of  withdrawing  from  the  Clayton- 
Bulwer  treaty,  wherein  a  joint  guaranty  of  those 
powers  was  established.  This  position  was  taken  by 
the  United  States  because  of  the  changed  condition 
of  affairs  since  that  treaty  was  made.  Then  the 
United  States  made  concessions  to  England,  because 
possessed  of  resources  and  wealth  too  limited  for  so 
arduous  an  undertaking.  Now  the  country  was  larger, 
twice  as  populous  and  richer  by  far.  Above  all,  its 
possessions  on  the  Pacific  coast  would  be  exposed  to 
attacks  from  the  enemy  in  case  the  neutrality  of  the 
canal  were  guaranteed  by  European  powers  alone. 

The  Mormon  question,  which  has  for  years  been 
troubling  Americans,  was  the  occasion  of  some  restric- 
tive legislation  during  President  Arthur's  adminis- 
tration. 

With  Germany,  an  extensive  corresponden'ce  took 
place,  not  on  such  lofty  subjects  as  the  rights  of 
American  citizens,  or  treaty  obligations,  but  on  that 
harmless,  necessary  animal,  the  American  hog.  In 
consequence  of  alleged  discoveries  of  trichinte  in  pork 
imported  from  the  United  States,  the  question  was, 
in  1878,  raised  in  Germany  as  to  the  advisability  of 
allowing  its  consumption.  After  much  correspond- 
ence, the  "American  hog"  was,  for  a  time,  prohibited 
from  taking  European  tours. 

A  panic,  started  early  in  1884,  almost  prostrated 
business.  General  Grant  and  his  son  had  gone  into 
business  in  Xew  York  City  with  a  man  named  Ward. 
General  Grant  seems  to  have  given  little  attention  to 
the  business  in  which  he  had  staked  his  all,  but  en- 
trusted it  to  Ward   and   his  son.     Ward   evidently 


474 


UNION. 


proved  too  much  for  his  son.  The  concern  went  down 
in  ruins.  Ward  was  arrested  for  swindling  and  sent  to 
the  penitentiary.  Other  banks  tumbled  in  ruins,  and 
the  panic  became  general.  It  was  over  a  year  before  the 
country  fully  recovered,  and  confidence  was  restored. 
There  were  two  notable  deaths  during  Arthur's 
administration.  One  was  the  poet  Henry  W.  Long- 
fellow, who  died  March  24,  1883, 
and  the  other  the  great  philan- 
thropist, Peter  Cooper. 

It  was  Arthur's  desire  to  be 
his  own  successor;  but  the  Ke- 
publican  convention,  which  met 
in  Chicago,  nominated  James  G. 
Blaine  of  Maine  and  John  A. 
Logan  of  Illinois  for  president 
and  vice-president  of  the  United 
States.  The  Democratic  party 
nominated  Grover  Cleveland,  of 
New  York,  and  Thomas  A.  Hen- 
dricks of  Indiana.  General  But- 
ler was  nominated  for  president 
on  the  Greenback  ticket,  and 
John  P.  St.  John  of  Kansas  on 
the  Prohibition  ticket.  The 
campaign  was  the  most  exciting  and  enthusiastic  since 
the  hard-cider  campaign  of  1840.  Conkling  sulked 
in  his  tent.  George  William  Curtis,  who  had  been 
in  the  convention  that  nominated  Mr.  Blaine,  went 
over  to  the  Democracy,  Henry  Ward  Beechpr  de- 
clared for  Cleveland,  yet  Mr.  Blaine  went  to  work 
with  an  energy  such  as  no  candidate  lias  ever  dis- 
played. He  still  had  a  few  faithful  leaders,  and  with 
these  he  entered  into  the  conflict.  He  made  a  grand, 
noble  fight ;  but  he  lost  New  York  by  a  few  hundred, 
which  gave  the  election  to  Grover  Cleveland. 


Benjamin  F.  Butler. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

CLEVELAND'S    ADMIXISTIiATIOX    AXD    THE    CAMPAIGX 

OF  1888. 


James  G.  Blaixe  was  for  years  known  as  the  Glad- 
stone of  America.  His  defeat  was  u  surprise  to  his 
friends,  but  Mr.  Blaine  liimself  had  })redicted  it,  be- 
fore he  was  nominated.  The  week  before  the  meeting 
of  the  Kepublican  national  convention  in  1884-,  on 
Thursday,  Mr.  Blaine  telegraphed 
Murat  Halstead  at  Cincinnati, 
saying  he  would  be  glad  to  see  him 
at  his  residence  in  Washington, 
before  the  convention  assembled. 
Late  next  day,  Mr.  Halstead  rang 
the  door  bell  of  Blaine's  house, 
which  was  on  the  opposite  side  of 
Lafayette  Square  from  the  place 
where  Blaine  died.  He  took  Mr. 
Halstead  into  his  back  parlor  and 
said  he  had  sent  for  him  on  an  im- 
pulse, and  did  not  know  but  that 
he  had  caused  him  a  journey  with- 
out suflticient  errand  to  warrant  it, 
and  it  might  seem  very  peculiar 
and  unreasonable.     He  added: 

*' I  am  alarmed  about  this  convention."     Mr.  Hal- 
stead assured  him  there  was  no  reason  for  alarm  so 
far  as  he  was  concerned,  for  things  were  going  his 
way  as  well  as  his  friends  could  desire. 
475 


James  G.  Blaine. 


476  UNION. 

"All,  that  is  what  I  am  afraid  of,"  answered  Mr. 
Blaine.  "As  the  case  stands  I  shall  be  nominated, 
and  I  do  not  desire  to  be,  and  it  ought  not  to  be.  It 
would  be  a  mistake.  I  ought  not  to  be  nominated, 
for  I  could  not  carry  New  York.  The  Arthur  ad- 
ministration would  be  inefficient,  at  least,  and  faction 
would  do  its  work.  I  could  not  carry  New  York,  and 
defeat  is  certain  without  that  State.  We  might 
work  ourselves  up,  during  the  campaign,  to  the  belief 
that  we  could  carry  the  essential  State;  but  at  last 
we  should  miss  it,  may  be  just  a  little,  but  enough. 
1  feel  that  there  is  no  doubt  about  it.  Why  should 
we  be  defeated,  when  we  can  name  the  candidate,  a 
ticket  certain  to  be  elected?  Put  up  William  Te- 
cumseh  Sherman  and  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  and  we 
shall  go  right  through  to  certain  victory.  The  names 
of  Sherman  and  Lincoln  would  be  irresistible.  I 
have  written  fully  to  General  Sherman  and  he  under- 
stands my  views.  He  says  'No'  of  course;  but  he  has 
a  sense  of  duty  through  which  he  may  be  controlled. 
I  want  you  to  assist  at  Chicago  to  carry  out  the  Lin- 
coln and  Sherman  programme.  I  wanted  to  see  you 
to  tell  you  so  myself,  that  there  might  be  no  mistake 
about  it,  that  you  could  act  with  the  knoAvledge  that 
I  do  not  want  to  be  a  candidate,  and  should  not  be, 
and  the  reasons  why.  I  have  said  so  many  times  to 
William  Walter  Phelps  aniong  others,  and  to  friends 
now  in  town  from  Virginia." 

Mr.  Halstead  listened  with  profound  surprise  and 
concern.  Through  State  and  personal  associations  he 
was  for  the  nomination  of  John  Sherman,  and  asked : 

"  You  could  not  make  the  ticket  John  Sherman 
and  Robert  Lincoln?" 

Mr.  Blaine  doubted  the  ability  of  John  Sherman 
to  get  the  nomination,  or  carry  New  Y'ork  even  if  he 
did  get  it,  whereas  General  Sherman  was  a  certainty. 


APPENDIX. 


477 


Mr.  Blaine's  excuse  for  not  having  spoken  sooner, 
was  because  there  was  one  thing  needful,  the  pre- 
vention of  the  nomination  of  Arthur,  whose  candi- 
dacy would  be  a  fatality.  Arthur  was  skilfully  man- 
aging the  whole  power  of  the  administration  to  secure 
the  nomination ;  but  he  would  be  slaughtered  in  New 
York  and  Ohio.  Mr.  Blaine  added  that  he  had  not 
seen  the  time  when  he  could  safely  withdraw  in  the 
positive  terms  that  would  carry  conviction,  that  he 
Avas  really  out  of  the  field,  without  preparing  the  way 
for  Arthur's  success  in  the  convention,  and  defeat  of 
the  party  at  the  polls.  Mr.  Halstead  assured  Mr. 
Blaine  it  was  now  too  late  to  recede.  That  liP  fould 
not  convince  Mr.  Blaine's  friends 
in  the  convention  that  he  was  in 
earnest  or  not  a  traitor.  Mr. 
Blaine  was  nominated,  was  de- 
serted by  Carl  Schurz,  George 
William  Curtis,  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  and  many  others,  who 
had  heretofore  claimed  to  be  Re- 
publicans, while  Roscoe  Coukling 
sulked,  if  he  did  not  give  his  se- 
cret influence  to  the  Democracy, 
and  Mr.  Blaine,  as  he  predicted, 
was  "  beaten  at  least  just  a  little. " 
On  March  4,  1885,  Grover 
Cleveland  was  inaugurated  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  with  the 
usual  ceremonies.  His  cabinet  advisers  were  as  follov/s  : 
Thomas  F.  Bayard,  secretary  of  state;  Daniel  Man- 
ning, secretary  of  the  treasury;  AVilliam  C.  Whitney, 
seci'etary  of  the  navy;  William  C.  Endicott,  secretary 
of  war;  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  secretary  of  the  interior; 
Augustus  H.  Garland,  attorney-general,  and  William 
F.  Vilas,  postmaster-general.     During  the  latter  part 


Grover  Clevei.anu. 


478  umox. 

of  Mr.  Cleveland's  administration,  another  cabinet 
position  was  created,  called  the  department  of  agricul- 
ture, and  Norman  J.  Colman,  of  Colman's  Rural 
World,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  was  appointed  secretary  of 
agriculture,  which  position  he  held  but  a  short  time, 
retiring  with  the  administration. 

After  twenty-four  years,  the  Democratic  party 
again  held  the  reins  of  government.  An  attempt 
was  made  to  change  the  tariff,  by  the  introduction  of 
the  "  Mills  bill,"  of  which  Mr.  Mills  of  Texas  was  the 
author;  but  it  was  checked  in  the  Senate,  which  had 
a  Republican  majority,  and  failed  to  become  a  law. 
The  Mills  bill,  however,  formed  the  issue  for  the  next 
campaign.  The  first  business  that  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  new  administration  was  the  civil  war 
raging  in  the  Central  American  States,  to  the  detri- 
ment of  American  interests  there.  A  naval  force  was 
dispatched  to  the  scene  of  disturbance,  and  a  force  of 
marines  landed  to  protect  life  and  property  at  Aspin- 
wall,  which  had  been  occuj)ied  and  burned  by  one  of 
the  belligerent  forces. 

About  the  time  of  the  election  of  Mr.  Cleveland, 
the  public  was  shocked  and  grieved  by  the  report  that 
General  Grant,  the  distinguished  soldier,  was  afflicted 
by  an  incurable  disease,  a  cancer  of  the  tongue.  The 
last  act  of  President  Arthur  was  signing  a  bill  restor- 
ing him  to  his  rank  in  the  army;  but  the  old  liero 
was  not  destined  to  hold  the  honor  long.  Bowed 
down  with  financial  trouble  and  affliction,  his  last 
days  were  full  of  pain  and  sorrow.  He  died,  July 
23d,  at  Mount  MacGregor,  and  on  August  8th  his 
remains  were  taken  to  New  York.  The  body  lay  in 
state  two  days  in  the  city  hall,  and  was  then  trans- 
ported to  a  spot  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  in  River- 
side Park,  which  the  city  had  assigned  for  that  pur- 
pose.    The  procession  which  accompanied  the  funeral 


APPEXDIX.  479 

car  was  immense.  The  president,  vice-president  and 
cabinet,  as  well  as  ex-Presidents  Hayes  and  Arthur, 
Generals  Sherman  and  Sheridan,  and  hosts  of  his  old 
comrades,  who  came  from  far  and  near  to  pay  the 
last  honors  to  their  chief,  were  j^resent. 

On  the  28th  of  November,  Vice-President  Hen- 
dricks died  suddenly.  By  his  decease  before  the 
meeting  of  congress,  the  succession  to  the  presidency, 
in  case  of  the  death  or  disability  of  the  president, 
was  left  undetermined.  By  the  constitution,  con- 
gress has  the  power  to  provide  for  filling  the  vacancy  in 
case  of  the  president's  and  vice-president's  death  or  re- 
moval; but  congress  had  not  yet  been  organized. 
When  it  did  meet,  on  the  7th  of  December,  the  senate 
elected  Senator  John  Sherman  its  president  p7'o  tem- 
pore, the  acting  vice-president  thus  being  the  leader 
of  the  opposition  to  the  president's  policy.  So  great 
was  the  anxiety  felt  at  this  unexpected  state  of  affairs 
that,  by  the  advice  of  his  cabinet,  the  president  de- 
clined to  attend  the  funeral  of  his  colleague.  Vari- 
ous proposals  have  been  made  with  a  view  to  settling 
beyond  peril  the  question  of  succession.  In  the  early 
part  of  1883,  a  bill  for  this  purpose  was  brought  in, 
and  the  death  of  Mr.  Hendricks  again  called  the  at- 
tention of  congress  to  this  important  matter.  A  bill 
prepared  by  Senator  Hoar  was  finally  passed.  By  its 
provisions  in  case  of  the  death  of  both  president  and 
vice-president,  the  functions  of  the  office  are  to  be  dis- 
charged, until  an  election  can  be  held  under  tlie 
articles  of  the  constitution,  by  the  cabinet  officers,  in 
the  order  of  the  authority  of  their  offices. 

Among  the  chief  events  of  Grover  Cleveland's  ad- 
ministration, no*"  already  mentioned,  were  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  Washington  Monument,  February  21, 
1885;  the  publication  of  the  revised  Old  Testament, 
May  loth;  the  arrival  of  Bartholdi's  statue  of  Liberty 


480  UXIOJV. 

in  New  York,  July  IStli;  the  blowing  up  of  Flood 
Kock,  in  East  River,  New  York,  October  10th.  On 
October  29th,  General  George  B.  McClellan  died. 
On  December  8th,  William  H.  Vanderbilt,  the 
great  New  York  millionaire,  died  suddenly  of  heart 
disease,  with  which  he  had  long  been  afflicted,  and 
which  had  for  years  been  a  clond  npon  his  life. 

The  year  1886  was  also  notable  for  the  death  of 
many  prominent  men.  General  Winfield  S.  Hancock 
died  February  18th;  Horatio  Seymonr,  Democratic 
statesman,  died  February  12th;  John  B.  Gongh,  the 
noted  temperance  lecturer,  died  February  13th; 
Judge  David  Davis  died  at  Bloomington,  Illinois, 
June  26th;  Samuel  J.  Tilden  died  August  4th;  Ex- 
President  Chester  A.  Arthur  died  November  18th, 
and  General  John  A.  Logan  died  December  18th. 
Scarcely  any  of  these  men  were  far  enough  advanced 
in  life  to  have  died  of  old  age. 

During  the  month  of  May,  there  were  great  labor 
agitations  throughout  the  United  States,  and  on  the 
fourth  of  that  month  occurred  the  Haymarket  riots 
in  Chicago,  during  which,  one  of  the  rioters  called 
anarchists  threw  a  dynamite  bomb,  which  exploded 
and  killed  and  wounded  a  number  of  police.  Seven 
of  the  accused  were  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  and  one 
to  serve  fifteen  years  in  the  penitentiary.  On  No- 
vember 10th,  1887,  Governor  Oglesby  commuted  the 
sentence  of  Samuel  Fielden  and  Michael  Schwab,  two 
of  the  anarchists,  to  imprisonment  for  life.  The 
same  day,  Louis  Ling,  one  of  the  anarchists,  com- 
mitted suicide,  and  on  August  11th,  August  Spies, 
A.  R.  Parsons,  Adolph  Fisher  and  George  Engel  were 
Ining.  In  1 893,  (Tovernor  Altgeld  of  Illinois  pardoned 
the  remaining  anarchists  in  prison,  who  are  now  at 
large. 

On  June  2,  1886,  Mr.  Grover  Cleveland,  president 


APPENDIX.  481 

of  the  United  States,  was  married  to  INIiss  Frances 
Folsoni. 

Early  in  1887,  an  interstate  commerce  law  was  en- 
acted. On  March  8th,  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher 
died.  On  Angnst  10th,  there  was  a  terrible  railroad 
accident  near  Chatsworth,  Illinois,  in  which  nearly 
one  hundred  persons  were  killed. 

There  arose  in  congress  some  bitter  discussion  on 
the  question  of  American  fisheries.  It  was  reported 
that  Canadian  authorities  had  been  imposing  on 
American  fishermen.  That  able  American,  Senator 
Fry  of  Maine,  declared  that  "  England  had  played  the 
bully  with  the  United  States,"  and  the  silver-tongued 
orator  from  the  Sunflower  State,  Senator  John  J. 
Ingalls  of  Kansas,  raised  his  powerful  voice  in  the  in- 
terest of  American  liberties.  Efforts  were  made  to 
adjust  the  matter  of  American  right  and  more  clearly 
define  the  three-mile  limit  as  contemplated  in  the 
treaty  with  Great  Britain,  also  to  include  the  s.al- 
fishery  question  in  Alaskan  waters;  but  these  are  still 
disputed  points  that  may  at  some  time  in  the  future 
cause  trouble. 

From  March  12th  to  14th,  1888,  occurred  a  terrible 
blizzard  in  New  York  city,  such  as  was  never  known 
before.  Ex-Senator  Roscoe  Conkling,  being  caught 
in  that  blizzard,  contracted  a  severe  cold  in  his  head, 
from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  August  5th.  On 
October  1st,  President  Cleveland  signed  the  Chinese 
Exclusion  Bill. 

The  year  1888  was  a  presidential  year.  The  Re- 
publican convention  at  Chicago  in  1888  liad  many 
candidates,  all  prominent  and  able  men.  New  York 
asked  for  Chauncey  M.  Depew.  Ohio  was  divided  be- 
tween John  Sherman  and  the  brilliant  statesman 
AVilliam  McKiiiley.  Kansas  put  forth  her  talented 
John  J.  Iiigalis.  Iowa  had  Senator  Allison,  and 
31 


482  UAION. 

Michigan  had  General  Russell  A.  Alger,  the  great 
statesman,  soldier,  Huancier  and  philanthropist, 
lllinios  was  divided  between  Walter  Q.  Gresham  and 
Robert  T.  Lincoln,  while  Indiana  advanced  the  claims 
of  Benjamin  Harrison. 

The  Democrats  met  in  national  convention  at  St. 
Louis,  June  6th,  and  nominated  Grover  Cleveland 
and  Allan  G.  Thurmau.  During  the  same  month, 
the  Republicans  met  at  Chicago  and  nominated  Ben- 
jamin  Harrison  of  Indiana  for  president  and  Hen. 
Levi  P.  Morton  for  vice-president.  Streeter  was  the 
labor  candidate,  and  the  j^rohibition  candidate.  Gen. 
Clinton  B.  Fisk.  Harrison  was  a  grandson  of  William 
H.  Harrison,  and  his  managers  raised  the  old  Tippe- 
canoe enthusiasm  of  1840.  Old  campaign  songs, 
badges  and  medals,  that  had  slumbered  for  almost 
half  a  century,  were  resurrected  and  brought  to  swell 
the  campaign.  The  l)all-rolIing,  and  everything  that 
would  rouse  the  early  patriotism  and  enthusiasm  of 
the  nation  Avas  brought  to  bear,  and  Harrison  and 
Morton  were  elected  November  6,  1888. 

The  latter  part  of  Cleveland's  administration  wit- 
nessed a  slight  cloud  in  the  firmament  with  Germany 
over -that  country's  aggression  in  the  Samoan  Islands. 
It  was  claimed  that  Germany  was  trying  to  secure  a 
ruler  in  Samoa  whom  they  could  control  in  the  in- 
terests of  that  nation.  This  matter  was  not  adjusted 
duri7ig  Cleveland's  administration. 

Almost  the  last  official  act  of  President  Cleveland 
was  to  sign  a  bill  admitting  as  States,  North  and 
South  Dakota,  Montana  and  Washington.  He  re- 
tired on  the  4th  of  March  and  went  to  New  York, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law. 


CHAPTEE  V. 

Harrison's  administration — trouble  with  chile 
— defeat — cleveland  again  elected — ha- 
waiian trouble — conclusion. 

Benjamin  Harrison  was  inaugurated  president  of 
the  United  States  March  4,  1889.  His  cabinet  ad- 
visers were:  secretary  of  state,  James  G.  Blaine; 
secretary  of  the  treasury,  William  Windom ;  secretary 
of  the  navy,  Benjamin  F.  Tracy;  secretary  of  war, 
Eedfield  Proctor;  secretary  of  the  interior,  John 
W.  Noble;  attorney-general,  Wm.  H.  H.  Miller; 
postmaster-general,  John  W.  Wanamaker;  secretary 
of  agriculture,  Jeremiah  M.  Rusk. 

The  first  thing  requiring  the  attention  of  the  new 
administration  was  the  settlement  of  the  Samoan  dif- 
ficulty. A  peaceful  and  satisfactory  adjustment  was 
quickly  made. 

Oklahoma,  a  portion  of  the  Indian  Territory,  was 
opened  up  for  settlement  April  32,  1889,  and  in  a 
month  the  wilderness  became  a  well-populated  coun- 
try. 

On  the  30th  of  April  of  this  year  was  the  centennial 
celebration  of  the  inauguration  of  George  Washing- 
ton, as  first  president  of  the  United  States.  The  cel- 
ebration was  observed  with  appropriate  ceremonies 
all  over  the  land. 

On  May  31st  and  June  1st  of  this  year,  there  oc- 
curred the  greatest  disaster  ever  known  in  the  history 
of  America,  the  Johnstown  flood.  A  dam  on  the  Cone- 
483 


UNION. 


maugh  lake  gave  way,  and  the  whole  valley  was 
flooded.  Thousands  of  lives  were  lost,  and  property 
amounting  to  millions  of  dollars  was  destroyed. 

From  August  to  December,  the  Clan-na-Gael,  or 
Cronin  murder  trials  attracted  the  general  interest  of 
the  public.  The  Clan-na-Gael  was 
an  Irish  political  society  on  the 
Fenian  order,  having  for  its  object 
the  liberation  of  Ireland,  and 
Cronin,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
society,  it  was  claimed,  had  re- 
vealed some  of  its  secrets,  for 
which,  it  was  claimed,  he  was 
murdered.  At  least,  he  mysteri- 
ously disappeared.  Three  men 
accused  of  his  murder  got  life  sen- 
tences, and  another,  John  Kunze, 
was  sentenced  to  three  years  in 
the  penitentiary. 

The  year  1890  was  eventful. 
Samuel  J.  Eandall,  Democratic 
statesman, died  April  loth.  As  the 
fourth  century  had  almost  elajjsed  since  the  discovery 
of  the  New  World  by  Columbus,  it  was  decided  to 
hold  a  quadro-ceutennial  celebration  in  the  form  of  a 
Columbian  exposition  and  world's  fair.  A  world's 
fair  bill  passed  the  senate  April  21st,  and  on  the  25th, 
President  Harrison  signed  it,  making  it  a  law.  Idaho 
became  a  State,  July  3d,  1890.  Gen.  Clinton  B. 
Fisk,  the  great  temperance  advocate,  died  July  9th; 
Gen.  John  C.  Fremont,  the  explorer,  July  13th. 

The  new  Republican  congress  had  formulated  a 
new  tariff  bill,  arranged  by  Hon.  AVilliam  McKinley, 
known  as  the  "McKinley  Bill."  This  bill  passed 
both  houses,  was  signed  by  the  president,  October 
1st,  and  went  into  effect  October  6th.     Early  in  De- 


Benjamin  Harrison. 


APPENDIX.  485 

cember  of  this  year,  there  was  an  outbreak  of  the 
Sioux  Indians,  who,  it  is  reported,  were  driven  to 
desperation  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  food.  They 
began  their  ghost  dances,  and  soldiers  were  hurried 
to  their  reservation.  Tliere  were  some  skirmishes 
with  tliem,  in  which  several  Indians  were  killed.  It 
was  reported  by  the  newspapers  that  even  the  women 
Avere  fired  upon.  On  the  loth.  Sitting  Bull,  the 
great  chief,  was  killed. 

Chicago  having  won  the  AVorld's  Fair  in  the  con- 
test between  many  of  the  prominent  cities  of  the 
United  States,  the  president  issued  a  proclamation  on 
the  2-ith  of  October,  announcing  the  fact  that  the 
World's  Fair  would  be  held  in  that  city  in  1893. 

On  December  31st,  Gen.  F.  E.  Spinner,  ex-treasurer 
of  the  United  States,  died.  January  29,  1891,  William 
Windom,  secretary  of  the  treasury,  died,  February 
13th,  Admiral  David  D.  Porter  died.  On  the  next 
day,  February  14th,  Gen.  AYilliam  T.  Sherman  died. 

On  March  14th,  a  mob  of  American  citizens  broke 
open  the  jail  in  New  Orleans,  in  which  there  were 
eleven  Italians,  who  had  been  accused  of  murdering 
David  Hennessey,  a  police  (tflficer,  and  hung  them  all. 
Some  of  the  Italians  had  been  tried  for  the  murder 
and  acquitted  by  a  jury.  As  some  of  the  lynched 
men  had  never  been  naturalized,  the  Italian  govern- 
ment demanded  satisfaction  and  temporarily  withdrew 
their  minister. 

April  7th,  1891,  P.  T.  Barnum,  the  great  Ameri- 
can showman,  died. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  this  year,  ground  was  broken 
for  the  exhibition  at  the  fair  grounds  in  Chicago,  and 
after  that  time  the  work  of  erecting  enormous  build- 
ings went  steadily  forward  until  they  reached  comple- 
tion, making  the  grandest  exposition  buildings  the 
world  has  ever  known. 


4«0  UNIOX. 

During  the  winter  of  1891  and  1892,  the  United 
States  of  America  became  embroiled  in  a  quarrel  with 
our  sister  republic  Chile.  The  unfortunate  aifair 
which  was  the  immediate  cause  of  the  trouble  occurred 
in  the  streets  of  Valparaiso  on  October  16,  1891.  A 
party  of  sailors  from  the  United  States  cruiser  Balti- 
mo7'e,  then  lying  in  the  harbor  at  Valparaiso,  went  on 
shore  and  were  attacked  by  a  mob  of  Chileans.  The 
Chileans  were  armed  with  pistols  and  knives,  while 
the  American  sailors  were  unarmed.  In  the  fight,  a 
boatswain's  mate  was  dragged  from  a  street  car  by  a 
mob  and  shot  to  death.  Five  other  n)en,  William 
Turnbull,  a  coal  heaver;  John  Hamilton,  a  carpenter; 
David  N.  Andrew,  a  painter;  George  Panter,  a  coal 
heaver,  and  John  W.  Talbot,  an  apprentice,  were 
dangerously  wounded  with  bayonets.  Turnbull  died 
from  the  effects  of  his  wounds.  Thirty-five  other 
sailors  were  arrested  by  main  force  and  dragged 
through  the  streets  of  the  city  and  locked  up  in  prison. 

Captain  Schley  of  the  Baltimore  made  a  careful  in- 
vestigation and  reported  it  to  the  government  at 
Washington.  President  Harrison  made  a  demand 
for  full  satisfaction  for  the  insult.  ^Maiiy  of  the  op- 
position papers  thought  Harrison  a  little  severe,  es- 
pecially as  it  had  only  been  a  few  common  sailors 
who  had  been  killed  and  maltreated ;  but  Harrison 
believed  the  life  of  a  common  sailor  as  dear  to  him  as 
that  of  an  admiral,  and  was  determined  in  his  demand 
for  reparation.  Chile  was  a  little  slow,  and  he  was 
on  the  eve  of  asking  congress  to  declare  war,  and 
had  already  ordered  many  war  ships  to  the  Chilean 
coast,  when  that  government  hastened  to  make  such 
reparation  as  they  could.  The  attack  on  the  Ameri- 
can sailors  is  said  to  have  resulted  from  hatred  of  the 
United  States,  from  some  supposed  meddling  on  the 
part  of  that  government  in  the  war  with  Balmaceda. 


APPENDIX.  487 

July  6th,  1892,  witnessed  one  of  the  most  terrible 
conflicts  since  the  war,  at  Homestead,  Pennsylvania. 
At  this  place,  is  located  the  Carnegie  iron  and  steel 
works.  Owing  to  the  lowering  of  wages,  the  hands 
to  the  number  of  several  hundred  struck,  and  the 
Carnegie  iron  works  officials  at  once  brought  a  body 
of  Pinkerton's  detectives  from  Chicago,  Philadelphia 
and  New  York,  armed  with  Winchesters.  They  came 
in  a  boat  partially  bullet-proof.  The  workmen  as- 
sailed the  boat,  and  for  ten  hours  a  conflict  raged  in 
which  a  number  were  killed  and  wounded,  when  the 
Pinkerton  detectives  surrendered  and  were  led  through 
the  town  by  the  victors  to  a  hall  where  they  were  im- 
prisoned, until  they  could  escape  the  fury  of  the 
mob. 

During  the  latter  part  of  President  Harrison's  ad- 
ministration, the  annexation  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
to  the  United  States  became  an  absorbing  topic  in 
diiDlomatic  circles,  and  was  freely  discussed  in  the 
newspapers.  Some  of  the  natives  and  American  citi- 
zens had  overthrown  the  government,  dethroned  the 
queen,  and  set  up  a  provisional  government,  in  the 
form  of  a  republic  with  Mr.  Dole  at  the  head,  and 
sent  commissioners  to  the  United  States  to  ask  to  be 
annexed  to  this  nation.  The  party  in  power  seemed 
friendly  to  annexation,  and  President  Harrison  sub- 
mitted a  treaty  to  the  United  States  senate,  but  a 
change  of  administration  interrupted  the  proceedings. 

The  year  1802  being  a  presidential  year,  the  Repub- 
licans renominated  Benjamin  Harrison  for  president 
Avith  Mr.  Whitelaw  Keid  of  New  York  for  vice-pres- 
ident. The  Democratic  Party  nominated  G rover 
Cleveland  of  N^ew  York  for  president  and  Mr.  Steven- 
son of  Illinois  for  vice-president.  The  Po])ulists, 
or  People's  Party,  which  had  gained  considerable 
strength,  nominated    General    Weaver  of  Iowa  at  the 


UNION. 


head  of    its  ticket.     General    Bidwell    of  California 
was  the  standard-bearer  of  the  Prohibition  party. 

Cleveland  and  Stevenson  were  elected  president  and 
vice-president  of  the  United  States. 

The  mortality  during  Harrison's  administration 
was  great.  His  own  family  and  his  political  associ- 
ates were  very  unfortunate.  The  daughter  and  wife' 
of  Secretary  Tracy  perisheil  iu  a  conflagration  which 
consumed  the  house.  President  Harrison's  wife,  an 
estimable  Christian  lady,  died  during  the  campaign 
which  witnessed  her  husband's  defeat.  On  January 
16,  1893,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  ex-president  of  the 
United  States,  died.  On  January  11th,  Gen.  Ben- 
jamin F.  Butler  died,  and  on  Jan- 
uary 27th,  at  11  A.M.,  Hon.  James 
G.  Blaine  died.  Phillips  Brooks 
and  Confederate  General  Double- 
day  died  the  same  month.  Dur- 
ing the  month  of  February,  Con- 
federate General  Beauregard  died. 
During  this  month,  Hon.  William 
^IcKinley  suffered  great  financial 
losses  from  having  indorsed  notes 
for  friends.  He  was  heavily  em- 
barrassed, but  refused  aid,  saying 
that  he  would  redeem  all  the 
obligations  he  had  assumed  for 
others.  McKinley  was,  in  1892, 
elected  governor  of  Ohio,  the 
greatest  honor  the  State  could 
confer  upon  him. 
During  the  campaign  of  1892,  Judge  Walter  Q. 
Gresham  announced  his  intention  to  vote  for  Grover 
Cleveland.  That  announcement  alone  no  doubt  car- 
ried thousands  of  votes  to  the  Democratic  candidate. 
He  was  rewarded  by  Mr.    Cleveland  with  the  first 


AViLLiAM  McKinley. 


APPEXDIX.  489 

place  iu  his  cabinet,  that  of  secretary  of  state,  an 
appointment  astonishing  to  both  Eepublicans  and 
Democrats.  The  remainder  of  the  cabinet  is  as  fol- 
lows: secretary  of  the  treasury,  John  G.  Carlisle  of 
Kentucky;  secretary  of  war,  Daniel  S.  Lament  of 
New  York;  attorney-general,  Richard  Olney  of  Mas- 
sachusetts; postmaster-general,  Wilson  S.  Bissell  of 
New  York ;  secretary  of  the  navy,  Hilary  A.  Her- 
bert of  Alabama;  secretary  of  the  interior,  Hoke 
Smith  of  Georgia;  secretary  of  agriculture,  J.  Ster- 
ling Morton  of  Nebraska. 

On  March  4,  1893,  G rover  Cleveland  took  the  oath 
of  office  for  a  second  time  as  president  of  the  United 
States. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  dethronement  of 
the  queen  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  during  President 
Harrison's  term.  There  was  a  division  of  opinion  in 
regard  to  the  subject  of  annexation,  and  unfortunately 
this  division  seemed  to  assume  the  form  of  a  political 
question.  Mr.  Cleveland  withdrew  from  the  senate 
tlie  treaty  which  Mr.  Harrison  had  submitted  and 
dispatched  Hon.  James  H.  Blount  of  Georgia  as 
special  commissioner,  or  minister  plenipotentiary  and 
envoy  extraordinary  to  the  Hawaiian  islands  to  make 
full  inquiry  as  to  what  part  the  minister  of  the  United 
States  and  the  officers  and  sailors  of  the  United  States 
man-of-war  had  taken  in  dethroning  the  queen.  The 
theory  of  the  president,  based  on  the  report  of  Com- 
missioner Blount,  was  that  the  queen  of  the  Hawaiian 
islands  had  been  overawed  by  United  States  officers, 
including  the  minister  and  the  captain  of  the  man- 
of-war,  and  that  her  abdication  was  only  temporary, 
with  the  understanding  that  her  cause  might  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and 
she  be  restored  if  found  to  be  in  the  right. 

This  representation  induced  ex-Minister  John  L. 


490  UNTON. 

Stevens  to  publish  ti  letter  giving  his  version  of  what 
had  happened  at  Hawaii.  Mr.  Stevens  stated  that 
on  the  death  of  King  Kalakaua,  his  sister  Liliuokalani 
succeeded  him  to  the  throne,  and  surrounded  herself 
with  libertines  and  gamblers,  taking  her  paramour 
to  live  with  her  in  her  palace.  The  biennial  legis- 
lature of  1893  voted  out  the  queen's  immoral  minis- 
try. She  seemed  for  a  while  to  acquiesce,  but,  aided 
by  her  friends,  she  carried  by  bribery  the  opium  and 
lottery  bills,  which  were  odious  to  the  more  intelligent 
and  honorable  people  of  her  country,  and  then  forced 
out  the  Wilcox-Jones  ministry,  and  appointed  in  their 
places  four  of  her  palace  retainers,  two  of  whom  the 
legislature  and  a  responsible  public  had  recently  and 
repeatedly  rejected.  Minister  Stevens  was  absent 
from  Honolulu  at  the  time  on  board  the  Boston.  As 
he  was  coming  into  the  harbor  at  noon  on  January 
14,  1892,  the  legislature  was  prorogued.  The  revolu- 
tionary edict  of  Hawaii's  misguided  queen,  was  about 
to  be  proclaimed;  rumors  of  it  had  already  reached 
the  public  ear.  A  few  minutes  before  the  appointed 
hour  for  the  coNp  (rvtai,  immediately  npon  Minister 
Stevens  reaching  the  legation  from  the  Boston,  he 
was  urged  to  go  at  once  to  the  British  minister,  and 
ask  him  to  accompany  him  to  the  queen,  and  try  to 
dissuade  her  from  her  revolutionary  design;  but  it 
was  too  late.  The  maddened  and  misguided  woman 
had  already  launched  the  revolution.  Saturday  night 
told  every  intelligent  man  in  Honolulu  that  the  Ha- 
waiian monarchy  was  at  an  end  forever.  There  was  a 
great  mass  meeting  on  Jannary  16th,  representing  the 
wealtli,  influence  and  patriotism  of  the  islands.  They 
resolved  to  be  no  longer  ruled  by  an  immoral  queen, 
but  to  overthrow  her,  set  up  a  provisional  government, 
and  then  ask  to  be  annexed  to  the  United  States,  so 
they  might  be  j)rotected  by  that  great  power.     They 


APPENDIX.  491 

appointed  a  "committee  of  public  safety,"  which  ap- 
pealed to  Minister  Stevens  to  land  a  force  of  men  from 
the  Boston^  lest  a  riot  and  incendiarism  should  burst 
forth  in  the  night,  for  no  reliable  police  force  longer 
existed,  and  whatever  there  w-as  of  force  was  then  in 
the  control  of  the  usur2)ers,  and  lottery  gamblers,  who 
had  inaugurated  the  revolution  by  forcibly  ejecting 
the  Wilcox-Jones  ministry.  Minister  Stevens  con- 
cluded his  statement  as  follows: 

"  Under  the  diplomatic  and  naval  rules  which  were 
and  are  imperative,  the  United  States  minister  and 
naval  commander  would  have  shamefully  ignored 
their  duty,  had  they  not  landed  the  men  of  the  Bos- 
to)i  for  the  security  of  American  life  and  property, 
and  the  maintenance  of  public  order,  even  had  the 
committee  of  public  safety  not  requested  us  to  do  so. 
As  American  representatives,  five  thousand  miles 
away  from  our  government,  we  could  not  have  escaped 
the  responsibility,  even  had  we  desired  to  do  so. 
Fortunately,  the  commander  of  the  Boston^  and  those 
under  his  command  had  no  desire  to  shirk  their  duty. 
On  shore  and  in  perfect  order,  they  stepj^ed  not  an 
inch  from  their  line  of  duty.  They  never  lifted  a 
Unger  to  aid  the  fallen  monarchy  nor  the  rising  pro- 
visional government.  The  former  sought  their  aid, 
but  neither  party  had  the  least  assistance  of  force  by 
Captain  Wiltse  and  those  under  his  command.  All 
assertions  to  the  contrary^  Ijy  whomsoever  uttered^  are 
audacious  falsehoods  witliout  a  semblance  of  truth." 

On  November  10,  1893,  the  secretary  of  state  issued 
a  letter  in  which  it  was  intimated  that  it  was  the  in- 
tention of  the  president  to  restore  the  queen  to  her 
throne  in  accordance  with  the  knowledge  gained  bv 
the  report  of  Commissioner  Blount.  This  announce- 
ment caused  excitement  all  over  the  United  States, 
and  for  weeks  the  papers  were  full  of  rumors.     The 


492  UNION. 

Hawaiian  question  unfortunately  became  more  a  party 
issue,  which  always  hinders  a  fair  and  impartial  inves- 
tigation. One  of  the  conditions  ujjon  which  President 
Cleveland  j^roposed  restoring  the  queen  Avas  that  she 
should  grant  general  amnesty  to  all  those  who  had 
been  concerned  in  the  revolution  that  dethroned  her. 
This  she  at  tirst  refused  to  do,  but  after  it  was  too 
late  she  assented  to  the  condition. 

lu  accordance  with  Mr.  Cleveland's  instructions, 
Minister  "Willis,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Stevens,  on  De- 
cember 22,  1893,  went  to  Mr.  Dole,  the  ^iresident  of 
the  Hawaiian  government,  and  in  the  name  of  the 
United  States  demanded  that  the  provisional  govern- 
ment should  abdicate  in  favor  of  the  deposed  queen. 
This  President  Dole  took  under  advisement,  and 
finally  refused  to  do,  and  for  many  days,  even  up  to 
this  writing,  great  excitement  has  prevailed  in  the 
Plawaiian  Islands  and  in  the  United  States.  On 
January  10,  1894,  Mr.  Gresham  announced  that  the 
policy  of  the  administration  of  "  restoring  the  queen 
had  been  dropped." 

The  summer  of  1893  was  noted  for  the  great  World's 
Fair  held  in  Chicago.  It  was  officially  ojjened  May 
1st,  and  closed  October  30th  of  that  year.  It  was 
the  most  successful  exhibition  ever  known,  and  ex- 
ceeded in  attendance  even  the  Paris  exposition.  As 
an  educational  feature,  the  World's  Fair  has  perhaps 
done  more  for  the  American  people,  than  any  exhibi- 
tion since  the  formation  of  the  government.  Among 
the  many  distinguished  visitors  at  the  Columbian  ex- 
position was  the  Duke  of  Yeragua,  who  is  said  to  be 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Christopher  Columbus. 

As  early  as  April,  1893,  evidences  of  a  business  de- 
pression were  discernible,  which  in  May  culminated 
in  a  financial  panic.  From  that  time  to  the  end  of 
the  year  and  into  the  first  month  of  1891,  the  present 


APPENFIX.  493 

writing,  the  depression  increiised.  Some  financiers 
thouglit  the  cause  of  the  sudden  and  unexpected 
"hard  times"  was  the  "Sherman  Law,"  which  pro- 
vided that  the  secretary  of  the  treasury  should  pur- 
chase 4,500,000  ounces  of  silver  bullion  every  mouth 
to  he  hoarded  away  in  the  treasury,  on  which  treasury 
notes  were  issued  payable  in  coin,  which  were  invari- 
ably paid  in  gold.  Though  this  law  was  known  as 
the  "Sherman  Law,"  and  was  enacted  as  a  compro- 
mise to  prevent  "free  silver,"  Senator  John  Sherman 
denied  arny  responsibility  for  it. 

President  Cleveland  called  an  extra  session  of  con- 
gress to  meet  August  7th,  and  take  action  on  the 
silver  question,  and  after  a  long  session  and  many  de- 
bates, the  Sherman  Law  was  repealed  on  November 
1,  1893.  It  was  predicted  that  "good  times"  would 
be  restored  as  soon  as  the  iniquitous  silver  law  was 
"wiped  off  the  statute  books,"  but  the  prediction 
failed.  Financial  matters  grew  worse.  Railroads 
were  seriously  nifected,  and  at  this  writing,  more 
than  one-fifth  of  the  railroads  of  the  L'^nited  States 
are  in  the  hands  of  receivers.  Corporations  and  in- 
dividuals failed  for  millions,  and  factories  closed  their 
doors,  throwing  many  thousands  of  people,  dependent 
on  their  daily  labor  for  support,  out  of  employment. 
Millionaires,  common  people,  and  ])aupers  suffered. 

Disasters  went  on  multiplying  until  it  is  estimated 
that  more  than  fifty-five  millions  of  dollars  were  lost 
in  failures  in  1893. 

There  were  State  elections  in  many  of  the  States 
on  November  7th.  Greatest  interest  centred  in 
Hon.  William  McKinley,  who  was  a  candidate  for  re- 
election for  governor  of  Ohio.  The  election  was  on 
purely  party  lines,  for  both  Governor  McKinley  and 
his  opponent  were  men  of  unimpeachable  characters. 
The  tariff  became  the  issue,  and  ^IcKinley  won  by  a 


494  UNION. 

majority  of  nearly  ninety  thousand.  New  York  also 
went  Republican,  and  other  States  showed  Eepuhlicau 
gains. 

On  January  1,  1894,  New  York  City  had  half  a 
million  unemployed  people,  many  of  whom  were  des- 
titute and  suffering,  while  the  proportion  in  Chicago 
and  other  cities  was  equally  great. 

The  principal  events  of  the  year  1893,  not  already 
mentioned,  were  the  opening  of  the  Cherokee  Strip, 
September  16th;  the  assassination  of  Carter  Harrison, 
mayor  of  Chicago,  by  an  ex-policeman,  October  '28th ; 
the  strike  on  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad,  which  for 
a  while  tied  up  the  business  of  that  great  thorough- 
fare, but  which,  thanks  to  prudence,  reason  and 
justice,  was  amicably  settled ;  the  steps  taken  for  the 
erection  of  a  monument  at  Wakefield,  Virginia,  to 
mark  the  birthplace  of  George  A\'ashington,  and  the 
unveiling  in  New  York  City,  on  November  25th,  of 
the  statue  of  Captain  Nathan  Hale,  the  young  i^atriot 
who  was  hanged  by  the  British  for  a  spy. 

The  year  1894  dawned  gloomy  and  depressing  on  our 
glorious  republic,  yet  the  American  people  are  ever 
hopeful,  and  through  the  darkest  clouds  the  sun  may 
sometimes  break  forth  in  radiance  and  glory.  AVe 
are  at  peace  with  all  the  world,  while  the  crowned 
heads  of  Europe  constantly  watch  each  other  with 
suspicion.  Though  financial  panics  have  wrought 
disaster  to  countless  thousands,  the  American  people 
are  not  a  nation  to  despair,  and  already  the  people 
are  grasping  all  the  vital  questions  of  the  day  with  a 
boldness  and  patriotism  that  will  soon  set  matters 
right,  and  this  model  republic  which  Ave  have  traced 
from  its  formation  will  then  enter  upon  a  new  era  of 
prosperity  and  will  grow  in  strength  and  glory  with 
each  additional  age  of  wisdom. 

THE    EXD. 


HISTOEIOAL   IJSTDEX. 


PAGE 

Alabama  at  Cherbourg 300 

Alabama  claims  against  England  settled 451 

Alabama,  the,  built  at  Birkenhead,  England 148 

Alabama's  fight  with  the  Kearsarge 306 

Alabama,   on  board  the 296 

Alabama,  originally  the  "390,"  fitting  out  and  sailing  151 

Alabama  received  as  a  state  of  the  Union 445 

Alabama  claims,  trouble  with  England  over 448 

Alabama,  the,  sinks  the  Hutteras 162 

Amendment,  thirteenth,  to  constitution 434 

Anderson,  Major,    in  command   of  troops   in  South 

Carolina  harbor 100 

Anderson,   General,   raising  the  American  flag,  over 

Fort  Sumter  in  1865 398 

Anderson  takes  command  of  Fort  Sumter 103 

Anderson,  Mrs.,  visits  her  husband  at  Fort  Sumter 

and  takes  him  Peter  Hart 116 

Appomattox,  Lee  surrenders  at 409 

Arthur,  Chester  A.,  death  of 480 

Arthur,  Chester  A.,  president  of  the  United  States. . .  470 

Ashley  of  Ohio  offers  resolutions  of  impeachment.  .  .  .  441 

Banks,  General,  captures  Port  Hudson 340 

Banks,  General,  on  Red  River 370 

Battle  of  Belmont 224 

Battle  of  Bentonville 401 

Battle  between  the  Alabama  and  the  Kearsarge 306 

Battle  of  Cold  Harbor 376 

Battle  of  Corinth 316 

495 


496  HISTORICAL    INDEX. 

PAGE 

Battle  of  Gettysburg 340 

Battle  of  Jonesboio 390 

Battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain 377 

Battle  of  Lookout  Mountain 347 

Battle  of  Missionary  Ridge 350 

Battle  of  Pea  Ridge 334 

Battle  of  Perryville 338 

Battle  of  Resaca,  Georgia 377 

Battle  of  Shiloh 236 

Battle  of  Spottsylvania  Court  House 375 

Battle  of  the  Wilderness 374 

Barnuni,  P.  T.,  death  of 485 

Bartholdi's  statue,  arrival  of,  in  New  York 479 

Beauregard  orders  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter. .  142 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  death  of 480 

Bell,  John,  nominated  by  the  Union  party  for  presi- 
dent in  1861 89 

Birkenhead,  England,  where  the  Alabama  was  built.  148 

Black  Hills,  gold  discovered  in 455 

Blaine,  Conkliug's  opposition  to 470 

Blaine,  James  G.,  nomination  and  defeat 474 

Blaine,  James  G.,  death  of 488 

Blizzard  in  New  York 481 

Blair,    Frank  P.,    nominated   for  vice-president    on 

Democratic  ticket 446 

Bland  silver  dollar  law 466 

Booth  assassinates  Lincoln 416 

Booth  at  Garrett's 417 

Booth  discovered  by  detectives  and  soldiers  in  a  barn 

at  Garrett's 433 

Booth,  Edwin,  the  actor,  effects  of  his  brother's  crime 

on 436 

Booth  in  Washington 414 

Booth,  John  Wilkes,  playing  Richard  HI.  atDe  Bar's 

Theatre,  St.  Louis,  in  1865 401 


HISTORICAL   INDEX.  497 

PAGE 

Booth  killed  by  Boston  Corbett 424 

Booth's  threat  to  Maggie  Mitchell 412 

Breckinridge  nominated  by  one  portion  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  1861,  for  president 89 

Bragg,  General,  makes  arrangements  to  dislodge  Sher- 
man at  Missionary  Ridge B47 

Buchanan,  James,  president  of  the  United  States.  ...  77 

Buchanan,  weakness  of 99 

Buckner,  S.  B. ,  captain  Kentucky  State  Guard 167 

Buell  arrives  at  Shiloh 253 

Bull  Run,  battle  of 214 

Burnside  supersedes  McClellan 339 

Butler,    Benjamin   F. ,    nominated  for  president   on 

Greenback  ticket 474 

Butler,  Benjamin  F. ,  death  of 488 

Cabinet  of  Buchanan 77 

Cairo,  Grant  and  Prentiss  at 210 

Calhoun,   John  C,  promulgation  of  the  doctrine  of 

State  Supremacy 76 

Campbell,  shipping  agent  for  the  Alabama 150 

Corse,  General,  severely  wounded 350 

Centennial 462 

Charleston,  excitement  in 99 

Chase,  Chief  Justice,  death  of 453 

Cherokee  Strip  opened 494 

Chicago,  great  fire  at 451 

Chicago,  World's  Fair  held  at 485 

Chile,  trouble  with 472 

Chilean  authorities  kill  American  sailors 486 

Clan-na-g  ael  trials 484 

Cleveland  elected  president  of  the  United  States 474 

Cleveland 's  cabinet — his  inauguration 477 

Cleveland    again    elected    president   of    the    United 

States 488 

Cobb,  Howell,  aiding  the  secessionists 97 

32 


498  HISTORICAL    INDEX. 

PAGE 

Colfax,  Schuyler,  nominated  for  vice-president 445 

Conkling  and  Gariield  fight 476 

Conkling,  death  of 481 

Congress  appoints  the  reconstruction  committee 437 

Constitution,  fifteenth  amendment  to 44(5 

Corbett,  Boston,  the  man  who  shot  John  Wilkes  Booth  424 

Corinth,  battle  of 31(5 

Corinth,  General  Rosecrans  at 275 

Crook  sent  to  fight  the  Sioux  in  Dakota 456 

Cummings  Point,    place  from  which  first  shot  was 

fired  at  Sumter 142 

Custer,  General,  and  command  slain  by  Sitting  Bull's 

Indians 457 

Darien  ship  canal 451 

Davis,  Jefferson,  candidateforpresident  of  the  United 

States  in  1860 88 

Davis,  Jelferson,  capture  of 427 

Davis,  Jefferson,  description  of 201 

Davis,  Jefferson,  entrance  to  Richmond 200 

Davis  flees  to  Danville 409 

Davis,  Jefferson,  president  of  the  Confederacy 136 

De  Bar's  theatre,  Booth  at 411 

Democratic  convention  at  Charleston 88 

Democratic  party,  division  in 77 

Donelson,  Fort,  invested 233 

Douglas,  Stephen  A. ,  nominated  for  president 89 

Dred  Scott  decision 78 

Emancipation  of  slaves  advocated  by  a  part  of  the 

Democratic  party 77 

Emancipation  proclamation  in  1863 349 

Fenians  suppressed 439 

Fisheries,  Canadian,  troubles    481 

Floyd  fails  to  have  Anderson  removed  and  leaves  the 

cabinet 104 

Floyd,  John  C. ,  secretary  of  war,  aiding  the  South. ..  96 


HISTORICAL   INDEX.  499 

PAGE 

Ford's  Theatre,    Laura    Keene    playing   "American 

Cousin"  in 414 

Fort  Fisher  captured 397 

Fremont,  Jolm  C. ,  death  of 484 

Fugitive  slave  law,  fruits  of 82 

Gardner,  Colonel,  removed  from  command  at  Charles- 
ton   100 

Garfield,  assassination  of 470 

Garfield's  inauguration  and  cabinet 469 

Garfield,  James  A. ,  and  Arthur  nominated  by  Repub- 
licans   468 

Geneva,  arbitration  of  Alabama  claims  at 451 

Georgia  revived  as  a  state  of  the  Union 445 

Germany's  embargo  on  American  pork 473 

Gillraore,  General,  besieging  Charleston 368 

Gillmore,  General,  investing  Charleston 340 

Gough,  John  B. ,  death  of 480 

Grant  and  Ward  failures  in  1884 473 

Grant  and  Colfax,  election  of 446 

Grant  and  Wilson  elected 452 

Grant,  General,  death  of \  .  .  478 

Grant  defeated  at  Hatcher's  Run 397 

Grant's  inauguration  and  cabinet 448 

Grant,  General,  investing  Lookout  Mountain  and  Mis- 
sionary Ridge 341 

Grant  made  Lieutenant-General 372 

Grant  landing  troops  at  Belmont 219 

Grant,  General,  moves  on  Belmont 214 

Grant  nominated  for  President,  1868 445 

Grant  renominated  for  President  in  1872 451 

Grant,  General,  seizes  Paducah 40 

Grant's  third  term  campaign 467 

Greeley,  Horace,  nominated  by  Liberal  Republicans, 

1872 451 

Greeley,  Horace,  death  of 453 


500  HISTORICAL  INDEX. 

PAGE 

Guiteau,  the  assassin  of  Garfield .471 

Hale,  Nathan,  unveiling  of  statue  of 494 

Halleck,  General,  supersedes  Grant 359 

Halstead,  Mr.  Murat,  and  Mr.  Blaine  475 

Hamlin,  Hannibal,  nominated  for  vice-president.  ...  87 

Hancock  and  Englisli  nominated  by  Democratic  party  468 

Hancock,  Winfield  Scott 480 

Harrison,  Benjamin,  elected  president  of  the  United 

States 482 

Harrison,  Carter,  mayor  of  Chicago,  assassinated 494 

Harrison,  Mrs. ,  deatli  of 488 

Hart,  Peter,  a  New  York  policeman,  goes  to  aid  Major 

Anderson 109 

Hatc;her's  Run,  General  Grant  defeated  at 397 

Hatteras,  the,  sunk  by  the  Alabama 163 

Hawaii  revolts  and  asks  to  be  annexed 487 

Hawaii,  trouble  with 489 

Hayes'  administration,  his  cabinet 463 

Hayes  and  Wheeler  nominated  and  elected 463 

Hayes,  ex-President,  death  of 488 

Hayes,  President,  brings  about  a  reform  in  the  South  463 

Hayes',  President,  Civil  Service  order 464 

Haymarket  riots 487 

Hendricks  nominated  for  vice-president 463 

Hendricks,  Thomas  A.,  vice-president,  death  of 479 

Henry,   Fort,  captured 333 

Homestead  riots 487 

Hooker's  gallant  fight  at  Lookout  Mountain 347 

Hooker,  General,  at  Lookout  Mountain . .  343 

Huntei-  succeeded  by  General  Gillniore 397 

Impeachment  of  Andrew  Johnson,  articles  of 443 

Impeachment  of  Johnson,  prosecutions  in 444 

Indians,  trouble  with 446 

Island  No.  10  captured 356 

Italians  hung  at  New  Orleans 485 


HISTORICAL    INDEX.  501 

PAGE 

luka,  battle  of 275 

Jack,  Captaiu,  the  Modoc,  hanged 455 

Jett,  Captain,  the*nian  who  took  Booth  to  Garrett's. .  417 

Jolnison,  Andrew,"  character  of 435 

Johnson,  charges  in  impeachment 443 

Johnson,  Andrew,  inauguration  of 433 

Johnson,  retirement  of 447 

Jolmson  tried  and  acquitted 445 

Johnston,  Col.  A.  Sidney,  sent  with  soldiers  to  attact 

Mormons  at  Salt  Lake 87 

Johnston,  General,  surrenders  to  Sherman 437 

Johnstown  flood  disaster .' 483 

Joseph's,  Chief,  capture,  his  pathetic  address 465 

Kansas  admitted  to  the  Union 137 

Kansas,  civil  war  in 80 

Kearsarge,  the,  at  Cherbourg 301 

Keene,  Laura,  at  the  side  of  the  dying  president 416 

Kell,  Mcintosh,  Captain,  of  the  Alabama 162 

Kell,  officer,  reports  the  Alabama  ready  for  action. . . .  305 

Kentucky's  stand  in  1861 165 

Kuklux  Klan  trials  and  convictions 45d 

Lee,  Colonel  Robert  E.,  sent  to  capture  John  Brown.  72 

Lee,  General,  as  a  soldier 374 

Lee,  General,  surrendering  at  Appomattox 409 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  nominated  for  president,  1860  ...  89 

Lincoln's  assassination 416 

Lincoln's  impressive  funeral 426 

Lincoln  inaugurated 137 

Lincoln  proposes  to  abolish  slavery 274 

Lincoln  re-elected  president 395 

Lincoln's  second  inauguration 399 

Logan,  John  A. ,  death  of 480 

Longfellow,  H.  W. ,  poet,  death  of 474 

Mason  and  Slidell  captured  aboard  a  British  ship. . . .  273 

Marmaduke,  General,  in  Southwest 370 


503  HISTORICAL    INDEX. 

PAGE 

Maximilian  in  Mexico   373 

Maximilian  seized  by  Mexicans  and  shot 438 

McKinley's,  Wm. ,  great  victory  in  Ohio 494 

McKinley  Law 484 

McPherson,  General,  killed  by  sharpshooters 380 

Meade,  General,  hero  of  Gettysburg 340 

Meeker  massacre 467 

Mitchell,  Maggie,  and  John  Wilkes  Booth 412 

Mississippi  revived  as  a  Stg-te  of  the  Union 445 

Modoc  War 454 

Monitor  and  Merrivuic 234 

Mormons,  trouble  with 86 

Morton,  Levi  P. ,  vice-president 482 

National  banking  system,  how  originated 449 

Negroes  granted  a  vote  in  District  of  Columbia  by 

congi'ess 440 

Negro  suffrage,  Andrew  Johnson's  opposition  to 436 

Nez  Perce  War 465 

North  Carolina,  General  J.  F.  Foster  in 367 

North  Carolina  revived  as  a  State  of  the  Union 445 

Oglesby,  Colonel  Richard,  sent  to  St.  Francois  River. .  211 

Oklahoma  Territory  opened  up 483 

Old  Testament,  revised,  published . .  479 

Pacific  Railroad,  completion  of 450 

Panic  of  1884 473 

Peace  in  1859 59 

Pea  Ridge,  battle  of 234 

Pittsburg  Landing  captured 234 

Pittsburg  Landing,  Grant  at 234 

Prentiss,  General  B.  M. ,  at  Cairo 210 

Prentiss,  General,  brings  on  engagement  at  Shiloh. . .  236 

Prentiss,  General,  great  victory  at  Helena 389 

Price,  General  Sterling,  at  Corinth 321 

Prosecutions  in  the  Johnson  impeachment  trial 444 

Quarrel  between  Johnson  and  congress  comes  off 435 


HISTORICAL  INDEX.  503 

PAGE 

Question  of  slavery 77 

Race  war  in  the  South  began 440 

Randall,  Samuel  J. ,  death  of 484 

Reconstruction  committee  appointed  by  congress  ....  437 

Reorganization  began  bj'  President  Johnson 434 

Republican  party  gaining  strength 87 

Resumption  of  specie  payment 466 

Richmond,  false  alarm  in 191 

Richmond,  Grant  enters 409 

Richmond  made  seat  of  Confederate  government ....  200 

Rogers,  Colonel,  killed  at  Corinth 320 

Rosecrans,  General,  at  luka 275 

Rosecrans,  General,  victory  at  Corinth 327 

Ruffin,  the  man  who  fired  the  first  shot  at  Fort  Sumter  144 
Russell,  Lord  John,  refuses  to  allow  war-ships  built 

in  England,  for  so-called  Confederate  States.  371 

Salary  grab 453 

Savannah,  Ga. ,  captured 395 

Scott,  General,  urges  the  fortifying  of  Charleston. . . .  100 

Scott,  General  Winfield,  death  of 446 

Secession  advocated - 90 

Semmes,  Captain  Raphael,  of  the  Alabama 153 

Serames,  Captain,  rescued  by  Mr.  Lancaster 313 

Semmes'  speech  to  crew 305 

Seward,  Secretary,  and  son  stabbed 416 

Seymour,    Horatio,   nominated  for  president  on  the 

Democratic  ticket 446 

Seymour,  Horatio,  death  of 480 

Sioux,  trouble  with 456 

Sitting  Bull  placed  on  a  reservation 466 

Sitting  Bull,  the  great  Sioux  chief 457 

Sherman's  advance  on  Missionary  Ridge 347 

Sherman's  army  at  Missionary  Ridge 345 

Sherman  in  the  Southwest 373 

Sherman  Law  on  silver  purchase  clause,  repeal  of .  .  . .  493 


504  HISTORICAL  INDEX. 

PAGE 

Sherman's  march  to  the  sea. 394 

Shiloh,  battle  of 236 

Slocum,  General,  attacked  near  Bentonville 401 

Smith,  General  Kirby,  surrender  of 437 

South  Carolina  revived  as  a  State  of  the  Union 445 

South  Carolina  secedes 98 

South,  condition  of 454 

South,  excitement  in,  over  Lincoln's  election 93 

Southern  Confederacy  in  straitened  circumstances. . .  371 

Specie  payment,  resumption  of 466 

Spottsylvania  Court  House,  fight  at 375 

Star  of  the  West  fired  on — first  shot  of  the  war 132 

Star  Route  trials 473 

State  Supremacy,  early  development  of 76 

Stanton  removed  and  Grant  given  his  place 443 

Stephens,  Alexander  H.,    vice-president  of  the  Con- 
federacy    136 

Stevens,    Major,    commanding    Confederate    battery 

that  fired  on  Star  of  the  West 133 

Stuart,   Lieut.   J.   E.   B.,   sent  to  demand  surrender 

of  John  Brown  at  Harper's  Ferry 73 

Sumter,  ineflfectual  efforts  to  capture 369 

Sumter  retaken  by  United  States  forces 397 

Taney,  Roger  B. ,  chief  justice  of  the  United  States, 

renders  the  Dred  Scott  decision 79 

Taylor  supersedes  Hood 397 

Tenure  of  office  Act  a  slur  on  Johnson 443 

Tilden,  Samuel  J.,  nominated  by  Democrats  for  presi- 
dent   463 

Tilden,  Samuel  J.,  death  of 480 

Union  Branch'  fight  of 334 

United  States  senate  organized  into  a  high  court  of 

impeachniMit  to  try  President  Johnson 445 

Ute  Indian  War 407 

Van  Dorn,  General,  at  Corinth 331 


HISTORICAL  ISDEX.  505 

PAGE 

Veto  power  exercised  by  Andrew  Johnson 437 

Vicksburg  surrenders  to  General  Grant 339 

Virginius    captured    by    Spanisli     authorities    and 

American  sailors  shot 454 

Wallace,  General  Lew,  at  Shiloh 234 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  causes  of 90 

War  vigorously  prosecuted  in  the  South 399 

Washington  Centennial  celebration 483 

Washington's,  Colonel,  horses  taken  and  slaves  set  at 

liberty  by  John  Brown 70 

Weaver,  General  John  B. ,  nominated  by  the  Green- 
back party 468 

Wilderness,  battle  of 374 

Winchester,  battle  at 234 

Windom,  William,  death  of 485 

Winslow,  Captain  of  Kearsarge,  sinking  the  Alabama  311 

Whiskey  ring  frauds 457 

World's  Fair  decided  on 484 

World's  Fair  at  Chicago 492 

Yancey  advocates  secession 90 

Young,    Brigham,    arrested    for   Mountain    Meadow 

massacre 451 

Young,  Brigham,  Mormon  ruler,  declares  w«r  agninst 

the  United  States 86 


OHROlSrOLOGT. 


PERIOD  XII.— AGE  OF  UNION. 

From  a.d.  1854  to  a.d.   1894. 

1864.  Kansas-Nebraska  Biix.  repealing  Compromise  of 
1850,  passed,  —March  3. 
Kansas  Territory  formed,  — Maj'  30. 
Nebraska  Territory  formed,— Maj'^  30. 
OsTEND  Manifesto  issued  by  American  ministers, 
Oct.  21. 
1855.  Kansas  troubles  ;  emigration  from  slave  and  free 
States. 
Niagara  Suspension  Bridge  completed. 

1857.  James  Buchanan  inaugurated  president,  —March  4. 
Dred  Scott  Decision  ;  opinion  delivered  by  Chief 

Justice  Taney, — March  6. 
Trouble  with  Mormons  in  Utah  ;  militarj'  sent  by 
the  United  States. 

1858.  Minnesota  admitted  into  the  Union, — May  11. 
First  Message  by  the  Atlantic  cable, — Aug.  16. 

1859.  Oregon  admitted  into  the  Union, — Feb.  14. 
John  Brown  seized  United  States  arsenal  at  Har- 
per's Fei'ry, — Oct.  16. 

Victoria  Bridge,  Montreal,  opened. 

1860.  South  Carolina  seceded, — Dec.  20. 

1861.  Star  of  the  West  fired  upon  off  Charleston  Har- 

bor,— Jan.  9. 
Kansas  admitted  into  the  Union, — Jan.  9. 
507 


508  CHRONOLOGY. 

Confederate  Government  organized  at  Mont- 
gomery,  Ala., — Feb.  8. 

Jefferson  Davis,  president ;  Alexander  II.  Ste- 
phens, vice-president, — Feb.  9. 

Colorado  Territory  formed, — Feb.  28. 

Dakota  Territory  formed, — March  2. 

Nevada  Territory  formed, — March  2. 

Abraham  Lincoln  inaugurated  president, — March 
4. 

Fort  Sumter,  S.  C,  bombarded  by  Beauregard, — 
April  12. 

United  States  Arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry  de- 
stroyed by  Federals, — April  18. 

GOSPORT  Navy- yard  destroyed  by  Federals  (Nor- 
folk, Va.),— April  20. 

Battle  of  Philippi,  W.Va.  ;  Confederate  defeat, 
June  3. 

Battle  of  Big  Bethel,  Va.  ;  Pierce  defeated, — 
June  10. 

Battle  of  Romney,  Va.  ;  Federal  victory, — June 
11. 

Battlb  of  Boonville,  Mo.  ;  Lyon  victorious, — 
June  17. 

Battle  op  Carthage,  Mo.  ;  Gov.  Jackson  and 
Sigel ;  indecisive, — July  5. 

Battle  of  Rich  Mountain,  W.  Va.  ;  Rosecrans 
victorious, — July  11. 

Battle  near  Centreville,  Va., — July  18. 

Confederate  capital  changed  to  Richmond,  Va. , 
—July  20. 

Battle  of  Bull  Run,  Va.  ;  McDowell  defeated, 
—July  21. 

Battle  of  Dug  Spring,  Mo.  ;  Lyon  victorious, — 
Aug.  2. 

Battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  Mo.  ;  Lyon  killed, — 
Aug.  10. 


CHRONOLOGY.  509 

Battle  of  Hatteras  Inlet,  N.  C.  :  Federal  vic- 
toiy,— Aug.  28,  29. 

Columbus,  KJ^,  seized  and  fortified  by  Confeder- 
ates,— Sept.  4. 

Grant  occupied  Padueah ,  Kr. , — Sept.  6. 

Battle  of  Lexington,  Mo.  ;  Price  defeated  Mul- 
ligan,—Sept.  17-20. 

Battle  of  Ball's  Bluff,  or  Edwards'  Ferry ; 
Baker  killed,— Oct.  21. 

Scott  retired  and  McClellan  appointed  general-in- 
chief,  —Nov.  1. 

Battle  of  Port  Royal  Entrance,  S.  C.  ;  Feder- 
als victorious,  — Nov.  7. 

Battle  of  Belmont,  Mo.  ;  Grant  and  Polk,  inde- 
cisive, —Nov.  7. 

Mason  and  Slidell  taken  from  the  Trent, — Nov. 8. 
1802.  Battle  of  Mill  Springs,  Ky.  ;  Thomas  victori- 
ous,—Jan.  19,  20. 

Fort  Henry,  Tenn.,  captured  by  Foote, — Feb.  6. 

Battle  of  Roanoke  Island,  N.  C.  ;  Bumside 
victorious. — Feb.  8. 

Fort  Donrlson,  Tenn.,  surrendered  to' Grant, — 
Feb.  16. 

Battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.  :  Curtis  victorious, 
—March  fi-8. 

The  Virginia  {Merrimac)  destroyed  the  Cumber- 
land and  Congress,  at  Hampton  Rords,  Va., — 
March  8. 

Battle  between  the  Virginia  {Merrimac)  and 
Monitor,  at  Hampton  Roads,  Va., — March  9. 

Battle  of  New  Madrid,  Mo.  ;  Pope  victorious, 
— March  14. 

Battle  of  New  Bern,  N.  C.  ;  Bumside  victori- 
ous,— March  14. 

Battle  near  Winchester,  Va.  ;  Shields  victori- 
ous,— March  23. 


510  CHRONOLOGY. 

Battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  or  Shiloh.  Tenn.  ; 
Grant  defeated  Beauregard ;  A.  S.  Johnson 
killed  ;  20,000  men  lost ;  April  6-7. 

Island  No.  10,  with  6,000  men,  captured  by  Foote 
and  Pope, — April  7. 

Battle  of  Fort  Pulaski.  Ga.  ;  Gillmore  victo- 
rious,— April  10-13. 

Farragut's  fleet  passed  Forts  Jackson  and  St. 
Philip,  La.,— April  24. 

New  Orleans,  La.,  captured  by  Farragut's  fleet, 
—April  25. 

New  Orleans,  La.,  occupied  by  Federals  under 
Butler,— May  1. 

Battle  of  Williamsburg,  Va.  ;  McClellan  vie- 
torious, — May  5. 

Norfolk,  Va. ,  captured  by  Wool,  —May  10. 

Hanover  Courthouse,  Va. ,  captured  by  Fitz 
John  Porter,  —May  27. 

Beauregard  evacuated  Corinth,  Miss., — May  27. 

Battles  of  Seven  Pines  and  Fair  Oaks,  Va.  ; 
McClellan  victorious, — May  31  and  June  1. 

Lee  appointed  to  chief  command  of  the  Confeder- 
ate army,  — June  3. 

Gunboat  fight  near  Fort  Pillow,  Tenn.,— June  6. 

Davis,  successor  of  Foote,  captured  Memphis, 
Tenn., — June  6. 

Seven  Days'  Battles  in  Virginia  ;  McClellan  and 
Lee, — June  26  to  July  1.  (Mechanicsville,  June 
26  ;  Gaines'  Mill,  27  ;  Cliickahominy,  28  ;  Sav- 
age's Station,  29 ;  White  Oak  Swamp,  29-30 ; 
Glendale.  30;  Malvern  Hill,  July  1.) 

Battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va.  ;  Jackson  vic- 
torious;  Winder  killed, — Aug.  9. 

Sioux  war  in  Minnesota  began, — August. 

Pope's  battles,  between  Mana.ssas  and  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,— Aug.  26  to  Sept.    1.      (The  more 


CHRONOLOGY.  511 

important  were  Groveston,  Aug.    39 ;   second 
Bull  Run,   30 ;  Chantilly,  Sept.   1 ;  victorious 
campaign    for    Lee ;     Kearney    and    Stevens 
killed.) 
Battle  of  Richmond,  Ky.  ;  Kirby  Smith  victori- 
ous,— Aug.  30. 
Invasion  of  Maryland  by  Lee  ;  crossed  the  Poto- 
mac near  Point  of  Rocks, — Sept.  4-7. 
Battle  of  South  Mountain,  Md.  ;  McClellan  vic- 
torious,— Sept.  14. 
Harper's  Ferry,  with  13,000  men,  surrendered 

to  Jackson  by  Miles,— Sept.  15. 
Battle  of  Antietam,  Md.  ;  McClellan  and  Lee,— 

Sept.  17. 
Munfordsville,  Ky. ,  captured  by  Confederates,— 

Sept.  17. 
Battle  of  Iuka,  Miss.  ;   Rosecraus  victorious,— 

Sept.  19-30. 
Battle  of  Corinth,  Miss.  ;  Rosecrans  victorious, 

—Oct.  3-4. 
Battle  of  Perryville,  Ky.  ;  unsuccessful  attack 

by  Bragg. — Oct.  8. 
Battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  Ark.  ;  Blunt  victori- 
ous,— Dec.  7. 
Battle  of  Fredericksburg,  Va.  ;  Lee  victorious, 

Federals  lost  13,000  men,— Dec.  13. 
Battle  of  Kingston,  N.  C.  ;  Foster  victorious.— 

Dec.  14. 
Battle  of  Stone  River,  or  Murfreesboro,  Tenn., 
—Dec.  31  to  Jan.  3.    (One  of  the  fiercest  of  the 
war, — Rosecrans  victorious.) 

1863.  Emancipation  Proclamation,  issued  by  Lincoln, 
— Jan.  1. 
Battle  of    Fort    Hindman,    or  Arkansas   Post; 
McClernand  victorious, — Jan.  11. 


512  CHRONOLOGY. 

Second  expedition  to  the  Yazoo ;  Giaut  arrived 
at  Young's  Point,  La., — Feb.  2. 

Arizona  Territory  formed,— Feb.  24. 

National  Bank  Act  approved, — Feb.  25. 

Idaho  Territory  formed, — March  8. 

Third  expedition  to  the  Yazoo,  under  Porter,— 
March  15. 

Fort  Sumter,  S.  C,  bombarded  by  the  Federals; 
Du  Pont  unsuccessful, — April  7. 

Grierson's  cavalry  raid  through  Mississippi; 
left  La  Grange,  Tatm., — April  17. 

Battle  of  Port  Gibson,  Miss.  ;  McCJellan  victori- 
ous,— May  1. 

Battle  of  Chancellorville,  Va.  ;  Lee  victori- 
ous ;  Federals  lost  18,000  men, — May  3,  3. 

Battle  of  Fredricksburo,  Va.  ;  Early  victori- 
ous,—May  3,  4. 

Battle  of  Raymond,  Miss.  ;  McPherson  victori- 
ous,— May  12. 

Battle  of  Big  Black  River,  Miss.  ;  McClernand 
victorious, — May  17. 

Battle  of  Vicksburo,  Miss.  ;  Federals  rejiulsed, 
—May  23. 

Battle  of  Port  Hudson,  La.  ;  Federals  repulsed, 
—May  27. 

Battle  of  Brandy  Station,  Va. ,  by  cavalry ; 
Gregg  victorious, — June  9. 

Maryland  and  Pennsylvania  invaded  by  Lee, — 
June. 

West  Virginia  admitted  into  the  Union, — June  19. 

Morgan's  raid  crossed  the  Cumberland  River, 
near  Bucksville,  Ky.,^ — June  27. 

Battle  of  Gettysburg,  Pa.  ;  Meade  and  Lee ; 
50,000  men  lost,— July  1-8. 

Battle  of  Helena,  Ark.  ;  attack  by  HoIn>es  re- 
pulsed ;  Prentiss  victorious,  — July  4. 


CHRONOLOGY.  51« 

Surrender  op  Vicksburg  to  Graut  by   Pember- 
tou, — July  4. 

Port  Hudson,   La.,  surrendered  to  Banks, — July 
8. 

Riots  in  New  York  City  ;    opposition  to  the  draft, 
—July  13-16. 

Jackson,  Miss.,  destroyed  by  Sherman, — July  16. 

Fort   Wagner,    S.    C,    captured  by  Federals, — 
Sept.  6. 

Chattanooga,  Tenn. ,  occupied  by  Crittenden,  — 
Sept.  8. 

Little  Rock,  Ark.,  occupied  by  Steele, — Sept.  10. 

Battle  of  Chickamauga,  Ga.  ;  Bragg  victorious  ; 
Rosecrans  lost  16, 000  men, — Sept.  19,  20. 

Battles  of  Chattanooga  and  Lookout  Mountain  ; 
Federals  defeated  Bragg, — Nov.  23-25. 

Battle  of  Knoxville,  Tenn.  ;  Longstreet  raised 
the  siege, — Dec.  4. 
1864.  Sherman's  raid,  from  Vicksburg  ;  reached  Merid- 
ian, Miss., — Feb.  14. 

Battle  of  Olustee,    or  Ocean  Pond ;  Finnegau 
defeated  Seymour,  — Feb.  20. 

Banks'  Red  River  Expedition  moved  up  the  river, 
March  12. 

Battle    of    Mansfield,    or    Sabine    Crossroads ; 
Banks  defeated, — April  18. 

Battle  of  Pleasant  Hill,  La.  ;   Banks  victori- 
ous,— April  9. 

Battle    of   Fort    Pillow^,   Tenn.  ;    captured  by 
Forrest.— April  13. 

Plymouth,    N.    C.  ,    surrendered    to  Confederates 
under  Hoke, — April  20. 

Bermuda  Hundred  seized  and  intrenched  by  But- 
ler,— May  5. 

Battles  of  the  Wilderness  between  Grant  and 
Lee  ;  30,000  men  lost,— May  5-7. 
38 


514  CHRONOLOGY. 

Sherman's  Georgia  Campaign,  with  110,000  men, 
began  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn., — May  7. 

Battle  of  Spottsylvania  Courthouse,  Va.  ; 
20, 000  men  lost,  —May  10. 

Battle  of  Resaca,  Ga.  ;  Sherman  defeated 
Johnston,— May  13-15. 

Battle  of  Newmarket,  Va.  ;  Sigel  defeated, — 
May  15. 

Battles  of  North  Anna,  Va.  ;  Federals  victori- 
ous,—May  23-27. 

Montana  Territory  formed,— May  26. 

Battles  of  Dallas,  Ga.  ;  Sherman  victorious, — 
May  25-28. 

Battle  of  Totopotomoy  Creek,  Va. , — May  30. 

Battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  Va.  ;  Grant  repulsed 
by  Lee, — June  1-3. 

Battle  of  Petersburg,  Va.  ;  Grant  repulsed ; 
10,000  men  lost,  —June  16-18. 

Siege  of  Petersburg,  Va. ,  by  Grant,  begun, — 
June  18. 

The  Alabama  sunk  by  the  Kearsarge,  off  Cher- 
bourg, France, — June  19. 

Battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Ga.  ;  Sherman 
repulsed, — June  27. 

Invasion  of  Maryland  by  Early ;  Washington, 
D.  C. ,  threatened,— July  9-14. 

Battle  of  Monocacy,  Md.  ;  Early  defeated  by 
Wallace,— July  9. 

Battles  at  Atlanta,  Ga.  ;  Sherman  victorious ; 
McPherson  and  Walker  killed,— July  22-28. 

Chambersburg,  Pa.,  attacked  and  burned  by  Mc- 
Causland, — July  30. 

Battle  of  Petersburg  ;  explosion ;  Federals  re- 
pulsed,— July  30. 

Battle  of  Mobile  Bay,  Ala.  ;  Farragut  victori- 
ous,— Aug.  5. 


CHRONOLOGY.  515 

Weldon    Railroad,    running  south    from  Rich- 
mond, seized  by  Federals, — Aug.  18. 
'  Battle  of  Beam's  Station,  Va.  ;   Weldon  Rail- 

road ;  Hancock  repulsed,  — Aug.  25. 

Battle  of  Jonesboro,   Ga.  ;  Sherman  victorious, 
— Aug.  31  and  Sept.  1. 

Atlanta,  Ga. ,  occupied  by  Sherman, — Sept.  2. 

Battle  of  Winchester,  Va.  ;    Sheridan  victori- 
ous;— Sept.  19. 

Battle   of    Fisher's    Hill,  Va.  ;    Sheridan  vic- 
torious,— Sept.  23. 

Nevada  admitted  into  the  Union,— Oct.  31. 

Battle  of  Franklin,    Tenn.  ;    Schofield  victori- 
ous,— Nov.  30. 

Fort    McAllister,    Ga. ,    captured    by  Hazen, — 
Dec.  13. 

Battle  of    Nashville,  Tenn.  ;    Thomas  victori- 
ous,— Dec.  15-16. 

Savannah,  Ga. ,  occupied  by  Sherman's  army, — 
Dec.  22. 
1865    Fort  Fisher,  N.  C,  captured  by  Porter  and  Terry, 
— Jan.  15. 

Sherman's  march  northward  from  Savannah,  Ga. , 
—Feb.  1. 

Columbia,  S.  C.  ,  surrendered  to  Federals ;    Sher- 
man's march, — Feb.  17. 

Charleston,  S.  C.  ,   occupied  by  Federals ;  Sher- 
man's march, — Feb.  18. 

Wilmington,    N.    C.  ,    captured    by    Schofield, — 
Feb.  22. 

Lincoln  began  second  presidential  term, — March 
4. 

Battle  of  Averysboro,  N.  C.  ;    Slocum  victori- 
ous,— March  16. 

Battle  of  Bentonsville,  N.  C.  ;  Slocum  victori- 
ous,— March  19. 


516  CHRONOLOGY. 

Armies  of  Sherman,  Terry,  and  Scliofield  united 
at  Goldsboro,  N.  C.,— Marcli  23. 

Battle  of   Fort   Stedman,    at  Petersburg,  Va.  ; 
indecisive, — March  25. 

Battle  of  Dinwiddie  Courthouse,  Va.  ;   Slieri- 
dan  victorious, — Marcli  31. 

Battle  of  Five  Forks,  Va.  ;    Sheridan  victori- 
ous,— April  1. 

Battle  of  Petersburg,  Va.  ;  Grant  carried  outer 
lines, — April  1,  2. 

Battle   of   Selma,  Ala.  ;    Wilson    captured    the 
city,  — April  2. 

Petersburg  and  Richmond  occui)ied  by  Grant,  — 
April  3. 

Lee  surrendered  to  Grant  at  Appomattox  Court- 
house, Va., — April  9. 

Mobile,  Ala.,  occupied  by  Canby, — April  12. 

President  Lincoln  assassinated  at  Washington, 
D.  C— April  14. 

Andrew  Johnson  inaugurated  president, —April 
15. 

Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  de- 
clared in  force, — Dec.  18. 
1866.  Fenian  Raids  into  Canada. 

Tennessee  reconstructed  by  Act  of  July  24. 

Civil  War  proclaimed  to  be  at  an  end, — Aug. 
20. 
1S67.  Nebraska  admitted  into  the  Union,— March  1. 

Reconstruction  Act  passed  over  i^resident's  veto, 
March  2. 

Tenure  of  Office  Act  passed  over  president's 
veto, — March  2. 

DovsfNFALL   of    MAXIMILIAN    in   Mexico    (shot  at 
Queretaro), — June  19. 

Alaska  purchased  of  Russia,  — June  20. 

Dominion  of  Canada  established, — July  1. 


CHRONOLOGY.  517 

1808.  Secretary  Stanton  declared  removed  from  office 
by  President  Jolinson, — Feb.  31. 

Johnson's  Impeachment  trial  begun, — March 
30. 

Johnson  acquitted  by  a  vote  of  35  to  19,  not  two- 
thirds,— May  26. 

Arkansas  reconstructed,  — June  2fS. 

Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia,  Louisiana,  and  North 
Carolina  reconstructed,  — June  25. 

Wyoming  Territory  formed, — July  25. 

Fourteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  de- 
clared in  force,  — July  28. 

General  amnesty  proclaimed  by  President  John- 
son,— Dec.  25. 

1869.  Ulysses    S.     Grant     inaugurated    president,  — 

March  4. 
Pacific  Railroad  (Union  and  Central)  completed, 

—May  10.      (Length,  1,910  miles;    cost,  $252,- 

000,000.) 
Woman  Suffrage  in  Wyoming, — Dec.  6. 

1870.  Virginia  reconstructed,— Jan.  27. 
Mississippi  reconstructed,  —Feb.  3. 
Fenian  raids  in  Canada  resumed. 
Texas  reconstructed,  — March  30. 

Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  de- 
clared in  force, — March  30. 

War  between  France  and  Germany  begao,  July 
10,  ended  May  10,  1871.  (Sales  of  arms  diffi- 
culties in  the  United  States  resulted  from  this 
war. ) 

1871.  National  Park  established  in  Yellowstone  Valley, 

—Feb.  28. 
Legal-tender   laws    declared  constitutional  by 

Supreme  Court, — May  1. 
Fire  at  Chicago,  111.  ;  estimated  loss,  |300,000, - 

000,— Oct.  10-12. 


518  CHRONOLOGY. 

Treaty  of  Washington,  providing  for  arbitration 
on  the  Alabama  claims,  etc.,  agreed  upon  by 
Joint  High  Commission, — Dec.  15. 

Civil  Service  Reform  Commission,  established  by 
the  act  of  March  3,  promulgated  report  Dec. 
19. 

1872.  National  Bureau  of  Education    established, — 

Feb.  8. 
Geneva  Award  ;  $15, 500, 000  awarded  to  the  United 

States  by  the  arbitrators  on  the  Alabama  claims, 

etc., — Sept.  14. 
San  Juan  boundary  dispute  decided  in  favor  of 

the   United   States ;   San  Juan  Island  to  the 

United  States,— Oct.  21. 
Fire  at  Boston,  Mass.  ;  estimated  loss,  |100,000, - 

000,— Nov.  9-10. 
Modoc  vstar  in  California  began, — Nov.  39. 

1873.  Credit  Mobilier  Committee  appointed,    Dec.  3, 

1872,  to  investigate  frauds  in  the  construction 
of  the  Pacific  Railroad  reported, — Feb.  24. 

"Salary  Grab  "  act  passed,— March  3. 

Grant  began  second  presidential  term, — March  4. 

1875.  Act  providing  for  specie  payments  on  Jan.  1,  1879, 

approved, — Jan.  14. 

Death  of  Vice-President  Wilson,  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C— Nov.  32. 

Thomas  W.  Ferry,  president  pro  tempore  of  the 
senate. 

1876.  Centennial  Exhibition  opened  at  Philadelphia, 

May  10,  closed  Nov.  10. 
Colorado  admitted  into  the  Union, — Aug.  1. 
Presidential    election, — Nov.     7.     (Contest  be- 

tvpeen  the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties 

as  to  its  validity. ) 

1877.  Electoral    Commission   provided  for  by  act   of 

Jan.  29. 


1 


CHRONOLOGY.  519 

Hayes  and  Wheeler  declared  elected  by  con- 
gress,— March  2. 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes  inaugurated  president, — 
March  5. 

President  Hayes'  civil-service  order  issued, — 
June  23. 

Railroad  riots  at  Pittsburg,  Albany,  Chicago, 
St.  Louis,  etc.,— July  22-24. 

1878.  Yellow  fever   in   Louisiana,    Mississippi,    Ten- 

nessee, Kentucky,  etc. 
Silver  dollar  made  legal  tender  over  president's 

veto,— Feb.  28. 
Gold  sells  at  par  in  Wall  street, — Dec.  17. 

1879.  Resumption  of  specie  payments ;  Act  of  Jan.  14, 

1875,— Jan.  1. 
Jeannette  sails  from  San  Francisco  for  North  Pole, 
—July  9. 

1880.  Increasing  immigration, —456, 000  immigrants  ar- 

rived during  year  ending  Dec.  31. 
Population  of  United  States  over  50,000,000,— 
Tenth  census. 

1881.  James    A.     Garfield    inaugurated    president, — 

March  4. 
President  Garfield  shot  at  Washington,  D.  C, 

—July  2. 
Death  of  President  Garfield  at  Long  Branch, 

N.J.,— Sept.  19. 
Chester  A.  Arthur  inaugurated  president  at  New 

York  City,— Sept.  19. 
560,000  immigrants  arrived  in  the  United  States 

during  the  nine  months  ending  Sept.  30. 
Centennial    Celebration    at    Yorktown, — Oct. 

10. 
Survivors  of  Jeannette  heard  from, — Dec.  20. 

1882.  Terrible   accident  at  Spuyten  Duyvil,    N.    Y., 

—Jan.  13. 


530  CHRONOLOGY. 

GuiTEAU,    the  assassin,    found    guilty,    Jan.    25. 

Hanged  June  30. 
Transit  of  Venus, — Dec.  6. 

1883.  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Bridge  opened  May  24. 
Great  Strike  of  Telegraphers'  Brotherhood  in  the 

United  States,— July  19  to  Aug.  18. 
Northern    Pacific    Railroad  open  for  traffic. 

—Sept.  8. 
Two-cent    letter    postage     went     into    effect 

throughout  the  United  States, — Oct.  1. 
Lord  Lansdowne    inaugurated  Governor- General 

of  Canada  vice  the  Marquis  of  Lome,  — Oct.  23. 

1 884.  Bodies  of  Jeannette  explorers  arrived  in  New  York, 

—Feb.  22. 

Washington  Monument  completed, — Dec.  6. 

Opening  of   "World's  Fair    and  Cotton    Centen- 
nial Exposition "  in  New  Orleans, — Dec.  16. 

1885.  Dedication  of  Washington  Monument, — Feb.  21. 
Grover     Cleveland     inaugurated     president,  — 

March  4. 
Rebellion    in  Saskatchewan,   British   America, 

began,  March  23 ;  Riel  captured.  May  15,  and 

executed  at  Regina, — Nov.   16. 
Revised  Old  Testament  published,— May  15. 
Bartholdi  Statue  of  Liberty  arrived  in  New 

York, — June  19. 
.    Niagara  Park  thrown  open  to  the  public,  — July  15. 
General  U.   S.   Grant  died  at  Mount  McGregor, 

N.  Y.,  July  23,  and  buried  at  Riverside  Park, 

N.  Y.,— Aug.  3. 
Flood  Rock,  East  River,  blown  up, — Oct.  10. 
Gen.  George  B.  McClellan  died, — Oct.  29. 
Vice-President   Thomas  A.    Hendricks  died, — 

Nov.  25. 
William  H.  Vanderbilt,  the  noted  millionaire, 

died, — Dec.  8. 


CHRONOLOGY.  521 

United  States  Senate  passed  the  Presidential 
Succession  bill,— Dec.  17. 

1886.  Gen.  Win  field  S.  Hancock  died, — Feb.  9. 
Horatio  Seymour  died, — Feb.  13. 

John  B.  Gough,  noted  temperance  lecturer,  died, 
—Feb.  18. 

Great  labor  agitations  throughout  tlie  United 
States, — May  1. 

Railroad  strike  in  the  Southwest  ended, — May 
4. 

Anarchists  explode  a  dynamite  bomb,  killing  and 
wounding  many  policemen  and  rioters,  at 
Haymarket  Square,  Chicago, — May  4. 

Odell,  III.,  wrecked  by  the  wind,— May  13. 

Grover  Cleveland,  president  of  United  States, 
married  to  Miss  Frances  Folsom, — June  3. 

Judge  David  Davis  died  at  Bloomington,  111., 
— June  36. 

Samuel  J.  Tilden  died, — Aug.  4. 

The  great  anarchist  trial  commenced  at  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  at  10  a.  m.,  June  21,  and  ended  at 
10  A.  M.,  Aug.  20.  (The  jury  brought  in  a  ver- 
dict of  murder  in  tlie  first  degree  in  the  case 
of  seven  of  defendants,  and  of  fifteen  years  in 
prison  for  the  eighth. ) 

Dedication  of  the  famous  Bartlioldi  Statue  of 
"Liberty  Enlightening  the  World, "—Oct.  28. 

Death  of  ex-President  Chester  A.Arthur, — Nov.  18. 

Death  of  General  John  A.  Logan, — Dec.  26. 

1887.  The  Inter- state  Commerce  bill  passed  the  senate, 

— Jan.  14. 
The  president  signed  the  Inter-state  Commerce 

Bill,— Feb.  4. 
Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  died,  —March  8. 
William     A.     Wheeler,     ex-vice-president     of 

United  States,  died, — June  4. 


532  CHRONOLOGY. 

Terrible  railroad  accident  near  Chatsworth, 
111.,— nearly  100  killed,— Aug.  10. 

Governor  Oglesby  commuted  the  sentence  of 
Samuel  Fielden  and  Michael  Schwab,  the 
Chicago  Anarchists,  to  imprisonment  for  life, 
—Nov.  10. 

Louis  Lingg  committed  suicide, — Nov.  10  ;  August 
Spies,  A .  R.  Parsons,  Adolpli  Fischer  and  Geo. 
Engel,  executed, — Nov.   11. 

1888.  Terrible  blizzard  in  New  York  and  vicinity, — 

Marcli  18-15. 

Ex-Senator  Roscoe  Conkling  died, — April  18. 

Democratic  National  Convention  at  St.  Louis, 
nominated  Grover  Cleveland,  of  New  York, 
for  president,  and  Allan  G.  Thurman,  of  Ohio, 
for  vice-president, — June  6. 

Republican  National  Convention  at  Chicago 
nominated  Benjamin  Harri.son,  of  Indiana,  for 
president,  and  Levi  P.  Morton,  vice-president, 
— June  25. 

Philip  H.  Sheridan,  general  of  United  States 
army,  died, — Aug.  5. 

The  president  signed  the  Chinese  Exclusion  Bill, 
—Oct.  1. 

The  presidential  and  congressional  elections 
were  held.  Benjamin  Harrison  was  elected 
president  of  United  States,  and  Levi  P.  Mor- 
ton vice-president, — Nov.  6. 

1889.  The  president  signed  a  bill,  making  the  following 

new  States :  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota, 
Montana  and  Washington, — Feb.  22. 

President  Benjamin  Harrison  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent Levi  P.  Morton  inaugurated, — March 
4. 

The  proclamation  opening  the  Territory  of  Okla- 
homa was  issued  by  the  president,  March  27, 


CHRONOLOGY.  523 

the  proclamation   to  take  effect  April  22  at 
high  noon. 

Centennial  celebration  throughout  the  United 
States,  — April  30. 

Terrible  flood  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  caused  by  the 
bursting  of  a  reservoir ;  the  entire  valley  of 
the  Conemaugh  flooded ;  loss  of  life  esti- 
mated about  5,000;  loss  of  property  almost 
incalculable, — May  31-June  1. 

The  business  portion  of  Seattle,  Washington, — 
destroyed  by  fire,  — June  6. 

Disastrous  fire  at  Spokane  Falls,  Washington, 
Aug.  4. 

The  Cronin  trial  began  August  30,  ended  Decem- 
ber 16  ;  John  F.  Beggs  was  acquitted  ;  John 
Kunze  found  guilty  of  manslaughter,  and  sen- 
tenced to  three  years,  and  Daniel  Coughlin, 
Patrick  O' Sullivan  and  Martin  Burk  received 
life  sentences. 
1890.  Terrible  storm  passed  over  the  Mississippi  valley, 
—March  27. 

Samuel  J.  Randall  died, — April  13. 

Great  floods  in  Mississippi  vallej'  during  April. 

The  World's  Fair  Bill  passed  the  senate, — April 
21. 

President  Harrison  signed  the  World's  Fair  Bill, 
— April  25. 

Monument  to  Robert  E.  Lee  was  unveiled  at  Rich- 
mond, Va., — May  29. 
Idaho  became  a  State,  — July  3. 

Wyomino  became  a  State, — July  10. 

Death  of  Gen.  Clinton  B.  Fisk, — July  9. 

Death  of  Major- General  John  C.  Fremont. —July 
13. 

The  McKinley  Tariff  Bill  signed  by  President 
Harrison, — Oct.  1. 


534  CHRONOLOGY. 

New  Tariff  Bill  went  into  effect, — Oct.  6. 

Outbreak  of  the  Indians,  — December. 

Death  of  Sitting  Bulf, — Dec.  15. 

The  president  issued  a  proclamation  announcing 

the  fact  that  the  World's  Fair  would  be  held 

in  Chicago  in  1893„— Dec.  24. 
Death  of  Gen.    F.    E.    Spinner,    ex-treasurer  of 

United  States,— Dec.  31. 

1891.  Death  of  William  Windom,  secretary  of  the  treas- 

ury,— Jan.  29. 

Death  of  Admiral  David  D.  Porter,— Feb.  13. 

Death  of  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,— Feb.  14. 

A  MOB  in  New  Orleans  attacked  the  jail  and  killed 
eleven  Italians  who  were  indicted  for  the 
murder  of  David  Hennessey;  intense  excite- 
ment all  over  the  country, — March  14. 

Death  of  P.  T.  Barnum,  the  great  showman, — 
April  7. 

Ground  broken  for  the  first  exhibition  building 
at  World' s  Fair  grounds,  — the  Woman 's  Build- 
ing,— July  9. 

1892.  United  States   Regulars   and    Texas    Rangers 

opposed  the  movements  of  Garza,  the  Mexi- 
can revolutionist  on  the  Texas  border, — Jan. 
2. 

Cyclones  devastated  several  towns  in  Georgia  and 
Florida, — Jan.  6. 

Terrific  explosion  at  the  Osage  Coal-Mining 
Company's  mine  at  Krebs,  I.  T.,  resulting  in 
great  loss  of  life  and  property, — Jan.  7. 

The  eminent  American  sculptor,  Randolph  Rogers, 
died  at  Rome,  Italy, — Jan.  15. 

Free  silver-coinage  debate  in  congress, — March 
22-24. 

Grover  Cleveland  elected  a  second  time  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  —  November. 


CHRONOLOGY.  535 

1893.  Ex-President  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  died, — Jan. 
16. 

Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler  died, — Jan.  11. 

Hon.  James  G.  Blaine  died, — Jan.  27. 

General  Beauregard  died, — February. 

Grover  Cleveland  inaugurated  President  of  the 
United  States,  —March  4. 

Financial  depression  began ;  Secretary  Carlisle 
'conferred  with  bank  presidents, — April  27. 

The  Duke  of  Veragua  (a  descendant  of  Colum- 
bus) arrived  in  Chicago,  — April  29. 

World's  Columbian  Exposition  formally  opened, 
—May  1. 

PAific  OF  1893  began  with  several  failures  in  New 
York, — May  4. 

James  K.  Blount  appointed  by  President  Cleve- 
land envoy  extraordinary  and  minister  pleni- 
potentiary to  Hawaii, — May  10. 

Governor  McKinley  renominated  for  governor 
of  Ohio, — June  8. 

Governor  Altqeld,  of  Illinois,  pardoned  the  Chi- 
cago anarchists  Fielden,  Schwab,  and  Neebe, 
—June  26. 

President  convened  congress  in  extra  session  to 
consider  the  repeal  of  the  Sherman  Silver  Law, 
—Aug.  7. 

Parliament  of  Religions  in  session  in  Chicago, 
— September. 

Carter  Harrison,  Mayor  of  Chicago,  assassinated 
by  an  ex-policeman, — Oct.  28. 

World's  Fair  closed,  Oct.  30. 

Sherman  Silver  Law  repealed,  Nov.  1. 

Fall  Elections— Great  Republican  victories  in 
New  York  and  Ohio  ;  Governor  McKinley  re- 
elected by  nearly  ninety  thousand  majority, — 
Nov.  7. 


526  CHRONOLOGY. 

President  Cleveland,  through  the  Secretary  of 
State,  announced  his  intention  to  restore  the 
monarchy  in  Hawaii  —Nov.  10. 

Steps  taken  to  erect  a  monument  on  the  birth- 
place of  Washington  at  Wakefield,  Virginia, — 
Nov.  Ifi. 

Great  strike  on  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  began, — 
Nov.  16. 

Statue  of  Nathan  Hale  unveiled  at  City  Hall 
Park,  New  York  City,— Nov.  25. 

New  Tariff  Bill  to  change  McKinley  Law  sent  to 
Ways  and  Means  Committee, — Nov.  27. 


THE 


COLUMBIAN   HISTORICAL   NOVELS. 


A  Complete  History  of  Our  Country,  from  the  Time  of  Colurabl:^ 
down  to  tiie  present  Day,  in  the  form  of  Twelve  Complete 
Stories.      By  John   R.  Musick.      Uniform  Size  and 
Style;  8vo,  Half  Morocco,  and  Cloth  Bind- 
ings, One  Hundred  Half-Tone  Plates, 
Maps  of  the  Period,  and  numer- 
ous Pen  and  Ink  Drawings 
by  F.  A.  Carter. 


Vol. 

I. 

Vol. 

II. 

Vol. 

III. 

Vol. 

IV. 

Vol. 

V. 

Vol. 

VI. 

Vol. 

VII. 

Vol. 

VIII. 

Vol. 

IX. 

Vol. 

X. 

Vol. 

XI. 

Vol. 

XII. 

TITLES  : 

Columbia :     A  Story  of  the  Discovery  of  America. 
Estevan  :     A  Story  of  the  Spanish  Conquests. 
St.  Augustine:     A  Story  of  the  Huguenots. 
Pocahontas  :     A  Story  of  Virginia. 
The  Pilgrims:     A  Story  of  Massachusetts. 
A  Century  Too  Soon:     A  Story  of  Bacon's  Rebellion. 
The  Witch  of  Salem  ;  or,  Credulity  Run  Mad. 
Braddock  :     A  Story  of  the  French  and  Indian  Wars. 
Independence:     A  Story  of  the  American  Revolution. 
Sustained  Honor:     A  Story  of  the  War  of  1812. 
Humbled  Pride  :     A  Story  of  the  Mexican  War. 
Union :     A  Story  of  the  Great  Rebellion  and  of  Events 
down  to  the  Present  Day. 


The  Historical  Divisions  are  :  ist.  Age  of  Discovery  ;  2d. 
Conquest ;  3d.  Bi<;otry  ;  4th.  Colonization  ;  5th.  Reason  ;  6th. 
Tyranny  ;  7th.  Superstition  ;  8th.  Contention  of  Powers  for 
Supremacy  ;  9th.  Independence  ;  loth.  Liberty  Established  ; 
iith.    Supremacy  Abroad;    12th.  Union. 


FUNK    &    WAGNALLS   COHPANY,    Publishers, 

30  Lafayette  Place,  New  York. 

LONDON:  TORONTO,   CAN.: 

44  Fleet  Street.  11   Richmond  St.,  W. 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 


Wilmer 
826 


--.-.^-.y 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE 


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